UA, ASU Receive DOJ Grants To Research Homegrown Terror

Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, and Steve Womack, R-Rogers, on Thursday announced that the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University will receive grants from the Department of Justice totaling over $900,000 to study domestic radicalization.

UA will receive $399,531 to identify behavioral characteristics of homegrown terrorists who were able to evade arrest and/or neutralization for a long period of time to determine how their longevity affects potential recruits and the overall sustainability of larger terror groups.

ASU will receive $508,403 to study how violent domestic extremists use the Internet to organize like-minded individuals, disseminate ideas and recruit new members.

“With the nature of the current threats we face, and with increased calls from groups like ISIS to attack U.S citizens at home, it is vital that we identify these extremist groups and prevent these attacks before they happen. The information gathered from these studies will help keep us safer at home,” Boozman said.

“In order to keep our country safe it is imperative that we have a thorough understanding of the threats we face. I am proud that research so critical to our national security will be conducted right here in Arkansas,” Cotton said.

“I’m proud that our very own ASU through will be working to help protect our nation from domestic threats, particularly through studying their online presence. As the nature of these threats continues to change along with the media our enemies use, we as a country need to adapt, and that’s exactly what these studies aim to do,” Crawford said.

“As the nature of the security threats facing our nation continue to evolve, it is imperative that we have the information necessary to proactively thwart and combat such acts to ensure the safety of each and every American. I am confident that the important work of the University of Arkansas will do just that,” Womack said.