Federal authorities said they're treating Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, as a domestic terrorism case and weighing hate crime charges, but the suspect is unlikely to be charged as a terrorist because there isn't an actual 'domestic terrorism' law on the books, experts told
Federal authorities said they're treating Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, as a domestic terrorism case and weighing hate crime charges, but the suspect is unlikely to be charged as a terrorist because there isn't an actual"domestic terrorism" law on the books, experts told ABC News.
But legal experts pointed to past mass shootings, like the one at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 dead, as an example of cases that were labeled as domestic terrorism, but not prosecuted as terrorism. Some experts said the agency should be doing more to investigate and disseminate information about the rising threat of"homegrown," racially-motivated terrorism.
Steven Gomez, a former FBI special agent in charge, told ABC News'"Good Morning America" he would also like to see the El Paso shooter charged as a terrorist, but cited the First Amendment as well. Under federal law, Americans with white supremacist ties who are charged with stockpiling weapons and plotting mass attacks often end up facing lesser firearms offenses. By comparison, suspects plotting support for an international a group such as ISIS can be charged with providing criminal support for a foreign terror group. There is no corresponding charge for people who provide material support to groups that could be classified as domestic terror organizations.
At least six of those killed in El Paso were Mexican nationals, and the country said it plans to sue the U.S. for failing to protect its citizens.
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