US Radicals Bigger Terror Threat Than Jihadis in America

— -- Since the 9/11 attacks, many Americans have considered radical Muslims as the preeminent threat to homeland security. But non-jihadist extremists have been responsible for nearly twice the number of deaths as jihadist attacks in the United States, according to a count by New America, a Washington research center.

Non-Muslim extremists have carried out 19 such attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, killing 48 people, according to the report. In contrast, self-proclaimed Muslim extremists, such as Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, killed 26 people in seven attacks in the same time period.

The U.S. Patriot Act defines “domestic terrorism” as activities that: "(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; (B) appear to be intended—(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States."

The non-Muslim extremist attacks, which range from ambushing police officers to deliberately crashing a plane into a government building, were carried out by white supremacists, anti-government extremists and other non-Muslims. The slaying of nine African-Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, last week, marks the deadliest of these attacks yet.