Is the threat of domestic terrorism on the rise?

Since the deadly shootings in Dayton and El Paso, police across the country have made at least nine arrests for suspects threatening or planning an attack. These arrests have taken place in states like Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and Missouri. 

Tristan Scott Wix, of Dayton Beach, was arrested Friday at a supermarket. Officials said the 25-year-old sent several text messages stating he wanted to “break a world record for longest confirmed kill ever.”

Then on Saturday, police in New Middletown, Ohio, arrested 20-year-old James Reardon Jr., an avowed white nationalist, for allegedly threatening a Jewish community center. Police said he had an arsenal of firearms and combat gear. 

Body-cam video even shows police in Daytona Beach, Florida arresting a 15-year-old who allegedly threatened in a video game chat room, to bring an M-15 to school and kill at least seven people. The video shows the teen’s mother trying to plead with authorities. But she was told her son would be taken to juvenile detention and face a felony charge.

Law enforcement on high alert after recent arrests for shooting plots

“Over the past week, what you’ve seen is a spat of these active shooter scenarios being prevented before they happen. I think that’s a good thing,” said John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism for the New York City Police Department.

On the “CBS Evening News,” Miller told anchor Norah O’Donnell that often times, a suspect will give signs that they might be planning something, whether it’s by saying something suspicious to someone they know, or on social media.

“In most of those cases, people talk to the person directly and only half those cases do they call the authority. That’s the change we’re seeing now. People are stepping forward and trying to get help,” Miller said. “One active shooter doesn’t start the next one planning. One active shooter accelerates the planning of the person who’s already thinking about it. Most of these cases involve months of planning, at least weeks of planning and it’s a bit of a contagion.”