U.S. officials continue to shift focus from al Qaeda to home-grown extremistsMadison Ruppert, Contributor One of the prime targets for demonization by both the establishment media and law enforcement has been the so-called sovereign citizen movement, something which I have written about previously. This is all part of a concerted effort to turn almost everything into a sign of potential terrorist activity while breeding a culture of delusional paranoia, citizen spying and ubiquitous surveillance. Now U.S. government officials have said that al Qaedas core organization cannot carry out another attack like the horrific events of September 11, 2001 and the likelihood of a chemical, biological, atomic or radiological attack over the next year are minimal. Interestingly, this view expressed by the deputy director of U.S. National Intelligence Robert Cardillo conflicts with the ludicrous claims made recently about al Qaeda potentially planning another 9/11 in an attempt to justify an extended American military presence in Afghanistan. However, al Qaeda has been quite vocal in showing support for Western-backed uprisings in Syria and Libya, which is hardly surprising when one is aware of what al Qaeda actually is and what purpose they serve, especially in the current events in the Middle East. Mark Hosenball reports for the Associated Press that, More worrying to U.S. counterterrorism officials and their allies abroad is the possibility of home-grown extremists, or lone wolves, who are radicalized over the Internet or in small cells, but who also now are being given encouragement by media outlets connected to al Qaeda and its affiliates. The officials would not go as far as to say that al Qaeda is on the brink of strategic defeat, since this would completely eradicate the primary justification for the American police state along with the Department of Homeland Securitys massive operations, the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, etc. While discounting the planning power and resources available to the core al Qaeda organization, these officials did identify four loosely affiliated groups which they say still pose threats of greater or lesser degree to U.S. interests They claim that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the most dangerous group, which is hardly surprising seeing as they need to justify bombing people without knowing who they are and killing American citizens based on secret legal justifications. They also cited al Qaeda in Iraq which emerged thanks to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation which they claim maintains a potentially lethal presence in Iraq. Furthermore, they claim al Qaeda in Iraq may be expanding operations into Syria, although they admitted that they do not think that it poses a threat to U.S. interests outside of that region. They also brought up al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is in the North Africa region, although they said that it is mostly engaged in criminal activities like kidnapping for ransom money. However, they did say that they were worried that these tactics could eventually become more spectacular kidnappings intended to win publicity for militant causes. The officials noted that despite a short period during which Somalias al Shabaab enjoyed attention from disillusioned Islamic youths in both the United States and Europe, they are now seeing a measurable falloff in the organizations Western support and recruiting. However, an anonymous official in counterterrorism noted that it is clear weve made progress towards defeating al Qaeda the organization, although the ideology and other elements of the organization remain intact. He also claimed that a number of active networks in the United Kingdom remain. I see this as part of the larger push to shift the attention away from foreign threats and towards the people of the United States in order to legitimize the ludicrous spending and eradication of liberties required to maintain the American police state. Id love to hear your opinion, take a look at your story tips, and even your original writing if you would like to get it published. Please email me at Admin@EndtheLie.com Please support our work and help us start to pay contributors by doing your shopping through our Amazon link or check out some must-have products at our store. This article first appeared at End the Lie. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 