Alejandro J. Beutel is a Non-Resident Fellow at the New Lines Institute, specializing in the study and analysis of violent and non-violent Islamist and far-right movements. He is also a Research Affiliate at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).
From August 2017 to March 1, 2019 he was a Senior Research Analyst at Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Intelligence Project where he monitored U.S. far-right extremism and hate, focusing primarily on the anti-Muslim and antigovernmental “Patriot” movements. Prior to SPLC, Beutel was a Researcher for Countering Violent Extremism at START, focused on the narratives of violent U.S. far-right and Al-Qaeda and ISIS-associated actors. In 2014, Beutel was the Policy and Research Engagement Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), an applied research think-tank specializing in the study and promotion of evidence-based development strategies for positive civic, social, and political engagement outcomes for American Muslim communities.
Beutel graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2013 with a Master of Public Policy. He also has a Bachelor of Science in International Relations and Diplomacy from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.
As election season approaches, violent far-left extremists pose more of a threat to the United States – and they are more likely to launch lethal attacks than far-left extremists of the past
The U.S. electrical transmission grid is an attractive target for domestic violent extremists, but authorities can examine the threats posed by different groups and plan for future attempts to strike electric grid infrastructure.
The threat of ideologically motivated violence casts a shadow on the upcoming midterm elections and beyond, but security measures and efforts to calm tensions and fiery rhetoric can help decrease the threat over time.
Ample evidence shows that people adhering to far-right extremist ideologies have worked for the U.S. government and obtained security clearances and have abused their access to information and resources. In this report. Alejandro Beutel and Daryl Johnson examine this evidence and make recommendations for the U.S. government to prevent infiltration by extremists who could endanger the country.
