The White House on Sunday announced it will host a summit next month on how to counter violent extremism amid renewed fears among Americans that terror attacks on the homeland are inevitable.
A Rasmussen poll released Sunday shows that 65 percent of Americans believe it is at least somewhat likely an attack “on those critical of Islam” in the U.S. will occur over the next year. Just 26 percent said such an attack is not likely, the survey shows.
The poll comes just days after a string of terrorist attacks in France left 17 people dead, including 12 people killed at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo by radical Islamist extremists.
Obama administration officials now say they’ll step up efforts to stop the radicalization of Americans by terrorist groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The anti-extremism summit will be held at the White House on Feb. 18.
“The summit will include representatives from a number of partner nations, focusing on the themes of community engagement, religious leader engagement, and the role of the private sector and tech community,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement Sunday. “Through presentations, panel discussions, and small group interactions, participants will build on local, state, and federal government; community; and international efforts to better understand, identify, and prevent the cycle of radicalization to violence at home in the United States and abroad.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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