NYPD Report Warns Of Mounting Threat From Homegrown Terrorists

Wednesday, August 15th 2007, 8:21 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Citizens who quietly band together and adopt radical ways _ not just established overseas terrorist groups like al-Qaida _ pose a serious threat to American security, a new police analysis has concluded.

The New York Police Department report, to be released Wednesday, describes a process in which young Muslim immigrants, frustrated with their lives in their adopted country, slowly adopt a philosophy that puts them on the path to jihad. The men meet and share ideas in mosques, in bookstores and over the Internet, it says.

Police officials say the report warns that potential terrorists are difficult for law enforcement to detect because they blend in well. It also argues that more intelligence gathering is needed to thwart terror plots at their earliest stages.

The study, titled ``Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat'' is based on an analysis of the security risks exposed in criminal cases in Lackawanna, N.Y., Portland, Ore., and Virginia, as well as plots in Madrid, Toronto and Hamburg, Germany.

The findings were to be presented at a briefing at police headquarters for private security executives. The briefing is part of a program designed to encourage more vigilance at large hotels, Wall Street firms and other companies.