By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
As the FBI scrambles to handle an increase in potential homegrown terrorists, the bureau is taking a new approach that would favor counseling over jail, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The bureau is struggling to keep pace with the thousands of Americans believed to be supporting the interests of ISIS.
Especially concerning is the proliferation of teenage suspects.
“Nobody wants to see a 15-year-old kid go to jail if they don’t have to,’’ said one official working on the effort.
But, the FBI official emphasized, criminal charges would still be pursued if the suspect becomes more dangerous.
Not everyone agrees with this approach.
“I get the principle, but there are a lot of potential problems with this, and I think it’s a wrong move,’’ said Peter Ahearn a former FBI counterterrorism agent. “I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done but it shouldn’t be done by the FBI. That’s not the mission.’’
