America facing a growing terror threat from within

The US is being tested by a threat that is no longer distant, organized in foreign camps or directed solely from abroad. It is increasingly diffuse, harder to detect and more dangerous precisely because it grows from within. The rise in terrorist plots and attacks inspired by radicalism and extremism should alarm every American — not only because of their frequency but because of the conditions that allow them to take hold.
This is not speculation. It is the conclusion of America’s own intelligence community.
The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment, released last week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, shows that the biggest terrorist risk America is facing today comes from individuals or small groups acting on their own, driven by extreme beliefs. These attackers are often not directly tied to larger organizations or guided by foreign groups. But they are still influenced by dangerous ideas that make violence seem justified and even necessary in response to what they see as injustice.
This shift represents a profound evolution in the threat landscape. Groups such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda may have lost much of their ability to carry out large-scale, coordinated attacks. But their ideological reach remains intact. In some ways, it has expanded. They no longer need to plan every attack. They only need to inspire one. The results are visible across the country.
Two weeks ago in New York, two young men attempted to detonate improvised explosive devices outside the mayor’s residence. According to federal prosecutors, they were motivated by Daesh-inspired ideology and sought to carry out an attack of devastating scale. The devices failed to detonate but the intent was unmistakable.
In Michigan, a Lebanese American male drove his vehicle into a synagogue while children were inside, turning a place of worship into a scene of fear. Investigators say the attacker held extremist views and deliberately chose his target, using his vehicle as a weapon to spread harm and intimidation. It was not just an attack on a building but on an entire community and its sense of safety.
On the same day in Virginia, a gunman with a prior terrorism conviction opened fire in a university classroom while shouting religious slogans. Students who had come to learn found themselves in the middle of a violent, ideology-driven attack. The fact that the attacker was already known to authorities raises serious concerns about how such threats are monitored and contained.
In each case, the attackers did not act in isolation from ideas. Their actions were shaped over time by beliefs that frame violence as justified, even necessary.
These are not isolated incidents but part of a pattern.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, US authorities disrupted 640 planned terrorist attacks in the past year alone. At the same time, the FBI is investigating about 1,700 domestic terrorism cases. Many of these involve individuals driven by what officials describe as “nihilistic violent extremism” — a mindset rooted in hatred of society and a desire to create chaos. 

This is what terrorism in America looks like today: scattered, driven by ideology and much harder to detect and stop.

Dalia Al-Aqidi

This is what terrorism in America looks like today: scattered, driven by ideology and much harder to detect and stop.
But addressing this threat requires more than law enforcement. It requires honesty about how people become radicalized — and how public narratives can speed up that process. Because terrorism does not start with violence, it starts with ideas.
It begins with the idea that a person’s identity is under attack, their faith is under siege and the society around them is hostile and irredeemable. Once that belief takes hold, the path to radicalization becomes far shorter. This is why rhetoric matters.
When political figures suggest that the US is fundamentally hostile to a particular religion, they are not merely engaging in debate, they are shaping perceptions, especially among the young — impressionable individuals who may already feel alienated. Among the most prominent voices advancing this narrative is Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has repeatedly framed criticism of extremist ideologies as an attack on Muslims more broadly.
This framing is deeply irresponsible. It blurs the line between protecting religious freedom and confronting extremist ideas. Washington must defend the first, but it cannot ignore the second. When criticism is dismissed as bigotry, harmful ideas go unchallenged, gain acceptance and can push some individuals to see violence as justified. Such a pattern has been observed repeatedly, both in the US and abroad.
Policy needs to adapt to this threat.
The US should focus more on stopping radicalization early, especially online, and work with trusted voices in communities to push back against extremist ideas. Law enforcement also needs better tools, coordination and support to track lone attackers, who are harder to detect.
At the same time, immigration and citizenship policies should reflect the seriousness of terrorism, with clear consequences for those who turn to violence. And most importantly, key security agencies must be fully supported, without political disruptions, so they can do their job effectively and keep the country safe.
Finally, there must be a renewed commitment to clarity in public discourse. America is not at war with a religion. It is confronting an ideology that distorts faith, exploits grievance and justifies violence. Failing to make that distinction clear does not promote tolerance. It creates confusion — and that confusion is precisely what extremist groups rely on.
The warning signs are no longer subtle: foiled plots, arrested suspects and attacks carried out by lone wolves.
America has faced difficult challenges before. It has done so by relying on clarity, resolve and a willingness to act decisively. Those qualities are needed now more than ever.
The Trump administration must take this threat seriously, put security first, reject dangerous narratives and confront radicalization at its source. That is how the worst outcomes are prevented. Ignoring it, downplaying it or turning it into politics will only allow the threat to spread beyond control.
It will grow. And soon, it will be much harder to stop.

• Dalia Al-Aqidi is executive director at the American Center for Counter Extremism.