Nigerian Terrorists Report From House Panel Calls For More Concern

WASHINGTON -- A House Committee on Homeland Security panel released a report Wednesday detailing what it says is an emerging threat from a Nigerian Islamist sect that has recently unleashed a wave of violence in that oil-rich African nation.

As previously reported by The Huffington Post, Boko Haram piqued the interest of some Capitol Hill lawmakers when it bombed United Nations headquarters in Nigeria earlier this year, one of a series of attacks aimed at bringing Shariah law to that country.

The report by the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, chaired by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), warns against underestimating Boko Haram's intent and capability to attack the U.S. homeland and urges the State Department to investigate whether the group should be designated a foreign terrorist organization. It also recommends increasing intelligence gathering on Boko Haram, including reaching out to Nigerian immigrants in the United States and boosting U.S. government support for Nigerian efforts to counter the group.

Read the report here:

Boko Haram Report