The “domestic terrorism” language is largely symbolic — many of the law's stiffest penalties are for international terrorism that do not apply domestically. By declaring the attack to be domestic terrorism, Mr. Loretta E. Lynch, the attorney general at the time, declared hate crimes “the original domestic terrorism.” But some civil rights groups wanted her to go farther. But domestic terrorism carries no additional penalties. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThe Justice Department announced over the weekend that it was opening a civil rights investigation into the Charlottesville incident.

Source: New York Times August 14, 2017 12:55 UTC