Jeh Johnson: Nation's Main Threat Coming From 'Homegrown Extremists'

The United States is now in an environment in which it has to be concerned about homegrown, violent extremists that "could strike at any place," with the signs pointing to Orlando attacker Omar Mateen as one of those types of killers, Secretary of Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday.

"First of all, overseas we're killing these guys, wherever they rear their heads," Johnson told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program, explaining that the focus is especially on external operations and planning. "It is also crucial we continue to build bridges to American Muslim communities, the very communities the Islamic state is targeting and trying to recruit in this country."

And in Orlando, where 49 people were slain in the Pulse Nightclub shootings early Sunday morning, Johnson pointed out that investigators are only four days into their probe, but "all the signs" point to Mateen being "yet another tragic example of a homegrown, home-born violent extremist."

"He does not appear to have been part of any cell or any group," Johnson said of the killer, who was born in Queens, NY to immigrants from Afghanistan. "This does not appear to be a terrorist directed attack from overseas. It is mostly a terror-inspired attack."

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security  re-issued an "intermediate level" bulletin, stating that there is "no intelligence that is both specific and credible at this time of a plot by terrorist organizations to attack the homeland," but reiterated the threat of violent extremists who could be inspired to conduct attacks.

"In this environment it's also important we build bridges to communities not just for law enforcement purposes but to counter the message of the Islamic State," Johnson said Thursday.

Also, he continued, "if you see something say something or encourage somebody in a different direction early on before we have to get to the law enforcement route."

The FBI did investigate Mateen twice, in 2013 and 2014, and Johnson said that even though he got through that radar, "the FBI does an excellent job investigating, detecting, and preventing terrorist plots in this country."

But he said he will not second-guess the FBI, or whether it needs more agents, as he knows how aggressive it is with its counterterrorism efforts.

Meanwhile, Johnson reiterated his stance that "responsible, sensible gun control is now a matter of homeland security, [and] not just a matter of public safety" that must  be addressed on a national level in order to minimize the opportunities for a terrorist to get ahold of a gun.

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