The assessment notes the case of Timothy McVeigh, who was executed in 2001 after being convicted of a bombing that killed 168 people at the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City 14 years ago this month. McVeigh was a decorated veteran of the Gulf War who was accused of plotting the bombing in retaliation for government clashes with a religious sect at Waco, Texas, and rural anti-government militias.
The Homeland Security report notes a 2008 FBI report that found evidence that some soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq had joined extremist groups. The prospect that someone trained in military methods might carry out independent attacks or help form terrorist cells is described as "the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States."
Veterans groups have expressed dismay at the report's language and accused the Department of Homeland Security of political bias.
"To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical 'disgruntled military veteran' is as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam," said David K. Rehbein, the national commander of the American Legion in a letter sent Monday to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, also criticized the report, saying its depiction of veterans is "offensive and unacceptable."
Responding to the criticism, Napolitano said at an event in El Paso, Texas, that she regretted that the report left the impression that the department was singling out ex-soldiers as a threat to the nation.
Napolitano, who as a U.S. attorney was involved in the case against McVeigh, said that the department honors veterans and employs thousands of them, but defended the report as part of an continuing effort to warn of emerging domestic threats.
"We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group," said Napolitano, who noted that she was involved in the prosecution of McVeigh. "We must protect the country from terrorism, whether foreign or homegrown."
