Ron Johnson: Getting to 'Root Cause' of Terror 'Enormously Difficult'

Calling Islamic terror a "real and growing threat," Sen. Ron Johnson said it is "enormously difficult" for law enforcement to curtail future behavior of radicalized citizens who have yet to do anything wrong.

"It's a reality I wish we weren't facing, but it's enormously difficult for our public safety officials to deal with people that aren't guilty yet," Johnson told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" show. "So we need to recognize the root cause of this problem. It is Islamic terror."

The Republican senator from Wisconsin said Islamic extremists have already impinged on our freedoms in the form of extra security at our airports, for example.

Johnson told Fox News "sting operations" could be one way to get ahead of radicalized Muslims like Omar Mateen, the alleged killer of 49 club-goers in the early Sunday massacre in Orlando. 

"It just demonstrates what an enormous problem we have," Johnson told the program. "He went through relatively extensive background checks. Nothing showed up.  How do you deal with people who do not show their radicalization in terms of surveillance? They haven't demonstrated anything that rises to the level of charging with a crime.

"More sting operations as we probe the individuals under surveillance to see if we can't get them to show their hand," Johnson said.

Related Stories:

• Security Firm That Hired Orlando Shooter Faces Blow to Image
• Wash Post: Freed Gitmo Prisoners Have Attacked, Killed Americans in Afghanistan