Justice Department Creates Special Unit to Tackle Domestic Terrorism

Assistant Attorney General for National Security Division Matthew Olsen, seen from a video monitor, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee during a virtual hearing to examine the domestic terrorism threat, in Washington, on Jan. 10, 2022. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

The Justice Department is establishing a specialized unit focused on domestic terrorism, its top national security official said Tuesday.

Matthew Olsen, the assistant attorney general of the department’s National Security Division, told a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee that, based on the assessment of the Intelligence Community, the United States faces “an elevated threat from domestic violent extremists.”