Al-Qaeda and allied groups continue to pose a threat to the U.S. in 2010. They have the capacity to kill dozens, or even hundreds, of Americans in a single attack. A key shift in the past couple of years is the increasingly prominent role in planning and operations that U.S. citizens and residents have played in the leadership of al-Qaeda and aligned groups, and the higher numbers of Americans attaching themselves to these groups. Indeed, these jihadists do not fit any particular ethnic, economic, educational, or social profile.

This report is based on interviews with senior U.S. counterterrorism officials at both the federal and local levels, and embracing the policy, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. Map. This is a print on demand report.