FBI informs public on violent extremism before trial of accused synagogue shooter
“I can not say at this time that there are any threats,” he said but noted that he expected tensions to increase as the trial date approached.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh convened a public meeting with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, Feb. 15, to discuss violent extremism, hate crimes and matters related to the April 24 start of the trial of the man accused of murdering 11 Jews in the Tree of Life building in 2018.
The two-hour discussion, held at Rodef Shalom Congregation, was attended by more than three dozen community members and was led by FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst John Pulcastro, Staff Operations Specialist Madisyn Moore and Supervisory Special Agent Tim Swanson. Shawn Brokos, the Federation’s director of community security, hosted the event.
Moore started the conversation by noting the importance of behavioral indicators over ideology in preventing violent extremism. People can slide from one extreme to another, she said, from white supremacy to supporting ISIS, for example.
While television shows like “Criminal Minds” have popularized the myth that an expert can predict if a person will become a violent extremist by analyzing behavior, Moore said there is no profile for people who will commit an attack — particularly when it comes to juveniles, who frequently commit acts of violence.
The goal, she said, is preventing one attack, or one person at a time from becoming radicalized.
Community-based solutions are often the first step in stopping someone from becoming radicalized, she said, as personal relationships can facilitate the communication necessary to sway a person from becoming an extremist.
The FBI agent stressed the concept of “dialogue, not dispute.” This method is important, she explained, because often those on the path to becoming radicalized will withdraw from normal social interactions and exist in an echo chamber that reinforces their thoughts and ideas. These echo chambers, she said, are usually found through social media sites, gaming portals, encrypted messenger applications and other direct online communications channels, rather than the previous means of magazines or books like “The Turner Diaries.”
By the time someone has become radicalized, Pulcastro noted, it is usually too late for community intervention. At that point, the agents said, reporting is the best and most important tool available to the community.
Moore urged anyone who might have concerns about a person’s behavior to contact local law enforcement, the FBI and Brokos.
Whenever someone begins speaking in threatening phrases that start with, “I am going to …” it is time to report that person to law enforcement, she said. A person should also be reported if they begin deviating from normal conduct, isolating themself, become preoccupied with violence, begin studying other attacks or if something simply feels off.
Swanson, focusing on civil rights and hate crimes, said that half of the hate crimes committed in Pennsylvania are race-related and a quarter are associated with religion. He played through several scenarios illustrating the difference between free speech protected by the Constitution and actions that were elevated to the level of a hate crime, usually because of an overt or implicit threat.
Hate crimes, Swanson said, are underreported; less than 3% of Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies provided data in 2021 to the FBI Crime Data Explorer. And victims of hate crimes often don’t report the incident, he said, because they are embarrassed or because there is a language barrier — something the FBI tip line, 800-CALL-FBI, is prepared and able to handle.
Swanson then pivoted to the upcoming trial of the accused synagogue shooter.
“I can not say at this time that there are any threats,” he said but noted that he expected tensions to increase as the trial date approached.
While reporting no details on the security plans in place, he said the region is prepared to deal with any threat and urged anyone who sees anything they consider suspicious to report the activity by calling 911 and notifying Brokos. Brokos said that there also is an incident reporting form on the Federation’s website for non-immediate concerns.
The community, Brokos said, has an excellent security network in place, calling the relationships “critical.”
Several of those in attendance asked questions about when to report behavior outside of their synagogues. The law enforcement officers’ message was simple and clear: If you see something that concerns you, call 911.
“Last evening’s presentation was part of our ongoing efforts to better prepare the community for the upcoming trial so we can be as informed as possible and ready for anything that may happen,” Brokos told the Chronicle. “It was designed to educate the community on current threats we’re seeing, what to be aware of and most importantly how to report, so we can protect one another as a community.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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