At least a dozen investigations underway in GA into suspected homegrown violent extremists

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A ranking FBI agent revealed to Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Georgia has at least a dozen investigations underway into suspected homegrown violent extremists.

“There have been a number of instances where we have followed a threat very, very closely and mitigated that threat,” FBI Special Agent in Charge David LeValley said.

“A real threat? Something that turned out to be a real threat? Something that could’ve hurt people?” Winne asked.

FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ricardo Grave de Peralta says he used to fight terrorism as a Navy SEAL, but now a big part of his job is seeing that terrorists, domestic or international, can't seal the deal on terror plots in Georgia.

“Exactly,” LeValley said.

Grave de Peralta is a supervisor over the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF, in Georgia.

He says the unknown is the greatest tension in the task force's investigations.

“Doing a terrorism investigation is like doing a puzzle, a 1,000-piece puzzle,” he said.

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