The Capitol Hill riots that took place on January 6 were a grim wake-up call to any American naïve enough to believe that anti-government violent extremism “can’t happen here.” And yet, with occurrences of domestic extremism on the rise – more than 25 years after two domestic terrorists killed 168 people and injured more than 650 others in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City — the United States of America remains without a domestic terrorism law.

In a virtual OVF Espresso lecture on Tuesday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m.: “It Can’t Happen Here? Assessing the Rising Threats of Domestic Extremist Groups,” NBC News Analyst Frank Figliuzzi ’84, will address the urgent need for legislation. The FBI website defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” But, as Figliuzzi pointed out in an MSNBC opinion piece last month, “there is still no law that allows anyone to be charged with ‘domestic terrorism.’”

As former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, Figliuzzi will share his “insider’s” perspective of ongoing FBI investigations into tips and leads about domestic terrorists in nearly every state. He will evaluate the role social media plays in “fueling and fanning the flames” of extremism, and analyze the intersection of the need for gun control legislation in the efforts to combat domestic terrorism. More than a quarter-century after Oklahoma City, he’ll address the yet-unanswered question: why it is that we define domestic terrorism in the law, but we have yet to outlaw it? 

Joining Figliuzzi for a panel discussion on these urgent issues will be attorney and Fairfield Dolan professor of business law Debra Strauss, whose professional experience includes litigation of international terrorist cases seeking financial damages for victims’ families, and ex-FBI agent Holden Triplett, currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Triplett was deputy head of the FBI’s Moscow office from 2012-14; he led the Beijing office from 2014-17, and most recently served as FBI Faculty Chair at National Intelligence University.

A 1984 alumnus, Frank Figliuzzi earned his BA in English literature from Fairfield University, with minors in communication and sociology. After receiving his law degree from the University of Connecticut, he trained at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia and embarked on a 25-year career as a special agent, during which he served as the FBI’s assistant director for counterintelligence. He later worked for five years as assistant chief security officer for investigations and insider threats at General Electric, and is currently an MSNBC columnist and national security analyst for NBC and MSNBC News.

In his just-released book The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence (HarperCollins, January 12, 2021), Figliuzzi shares what it was like to work as a special agent and breaks the FBI’s “code of excellence” into seven core values he calls the “Seven C’s”: Code, Conservancy, Clarity, Consequences, Compassion, Credibility, and Consistency. Part pulse-pounding memoir, part practical playbook for excellence, The FBI Way shows readers how they can apply the lessons he’s learned to their own lives: in business, management, and personal development.

The OVF Espresso Series virtual event “It Can’t Happen Here? Assessing the Rising Threats of Domestic Extremist Groups” with Frank Figliuzzi ’84 is free and open to the public. For more information visit quickcenter.com, and to attend the online lecture on Tuesday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. tune in to thequicklive.com.