(CNN) US intelligence agencies believe that "narratives of fraud in the recent general election" and "the emboldening impact of the violent breach of the US Capitol" will "almost certainly" spur domestic extremists to try to engage in additional acts of violence this year, according to the unclassified summary of a new joint assessment released Wednesday. That warning was included in a comprehensive classified assessment of domestic violent extremism produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, which was ordered by the White House in January. concerned about the potential for more violence in the coming months. "Newer sociopolitical developments -- such as narratives of fraud in the recent general election, the emboldening impact of the violent breach of the US Capitol, conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and conspiracy theories promoting violence -- will almost certainly spur some (domestic violent extremists) to try to engage in violence this year," the unclassified summary says. The assessment breaks down domestic extremists into several categories, including racially or ethnically motivated extremists, animal rights and environmental extremists, abortion-related and anti-government extremists.

Source: CNN March 17, 2021 19:15 UTC