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New Orleans attack and Vegas explosion highlight extremist violence by active military and veterans
National

New Orleans attack and Vegas explosion highlight extremist violence by active military and veterans

  • By JASON DEAREN, MICHELLE R. SMITH and AARON KESSLER Associated Press
  • Updated

Much remains unknown about the man who carried out an attack in New Orleans and another who died in an explosion in Las Vegas on New Year's. One was an Army veteran and the other an active duty member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Service members and veterans who radicalize make up a tiny fraction of a percentage point of the millions and millions who have honorably served their country. But the recent violence highlights the increased role of people with military experience in ideologically driven attacks. An Associated Press investigation published last year found that radicalization among both veterans and active duty service members was on the rise, and that hundreds of people with military backgrounds had been arrested for extremist crimes since 2017.