U.S. Justice Department forming unit to counter domestic terrorism

President Joe Biden's administration is creating a new unit in the Justice Department to address domestic terrorism following last year's deadly U.S. Capitol attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"We face an elevated threat from domestic violent extremists - that is, individuals in the United States who seek to commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of domestic social or political goals," Matthew Olsen, the assistant attorney general of the department's National Security Division, told a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Olsen said the new unit will be housed within the National Security Division and will work to "ensure that these cases are properly handled and effectively coordinated" across the department and around the country.

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