FBI: Shooting Was Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C - On Thursday, the FBI called the shooting that took place at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday an act of domestic terrorism, a reminder of the threat within our own borders.

The suspect, James von Brunn, was a self-proclaimed white supremacist. When his name came out, it did not surprise to groups that monitor domestic terrorism. His name was already on their lists.

"We monitor a very wide range of groups," said David Friedman, Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League.

The 88-year old von Brunn was known by the Anti-Defamation League. It monitored his website, filled with hateful, racist posting and holocaust denials, but it never saw signs that his words would turn into violence.

"While we are aware of people like him that doesn't mean that we or anyone else knows that they're going to commit the kind of terrible tragic act that they did yesterday," Friedman said.

Experts in Homeland Security say there are thousands of hate groups across the country but in the case of the shooting at the Holocaust Museum, it appears von Brunn acted as a lone wolf.

"When they start acting on their own that's very tough to get on the radar screen to know when, where and how," said Frank J. Cilluffo, Director of Homeland Security Policy Institute.

For law enforcement, these lone wolves pose the greatest danger. The Oklahoma City bombing, the single most deadly act of domestic terrorism in history, was not the work of a large terrorist network-- but was the mastermind of one man.

"Timothy McVeigh was an example of a lone wolf. He went to the fringes of society, thought they were all talk and no action and took action himself and had catastrophic impact," Cilluffo said.

Special police officers stopped the accused gunmen of killing more people, but it's a reminder to everyone not to let their guard down.

"When you have someone filled with hate and is willing to arm themselves and go out and lose their lives to express that hate, one is too many," said Friedman.

The internet has allowed hate groups to spread their terror and recruit new members, but experts say it has also made them easier to monitor.

Von Brunn, an elderly man in his 80s, did not fit the profile of someone who commits violent acts. Those who monitor hate groups also say these people are careful not to expose themselves on the internet because they know they're being monitored, so it's difficult to tell when something like this will happen.