African-American demonstration in the US
African-American demonstration in the USReuters

The US government have declared 'black identity extremists' to be a violent threat, according to a leaked report from the FBI’s counter-terrorism division obtained by Foreign PolicyMagazine.

The August report from the Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit stated that: “the FBI assesses it is very likely Black Identity Extremist (BIE) perceptions of police brutality against African Americans spurred an increase in premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement and will very likely serve as justification for such violence.”

According to the report, alleged incidents of police abuse against African Americans have “continued to feed the resurgence in ideologically motivated, violent criminal activity within the BIE movement."

The report appears to be the first mention of the term 'black identity extremist.'

Racial tensions have been on the rise in the US since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. Brown was shot by police officer Darren Wilson, who was injured during the incident. A grand jury decided not to indict Wilson for Brown's death. The incident sparked unrest and riots in Fergusson and throughout the country.

In July, 2016, five police officers were murdered in a targeted assassination by Micah Johnson in Dallas, Texas.

The report further stated that there was a high probability that black identity extremists would attempt to attack police officers in the coming year.

The FBI defended the report to Foreign Policy Magazine, stating that: “ The FBI cannot initiate an investigation based solely on an individual’s race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or the exercise of First Amendment rights."