The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) issued a report on Friday detailing al Qaeda’s recent calls for attacks within the United States, yet it refrained from using the term “Islamic terrorism,” choosing instead to use broader terms such as “violent extremists.” This was of course called out by Laura Loomer who knows Islamic terrorism well. Rather than addressing the linguistic concerns raised by Laura Loomer, NCTC Director Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret and Gold Star husband appointed by President Trump, responded defensively from both his official and personal accounts in a manner that raised a few eyebrows. In one post from his personal account, Kent implied that Laura Loomer was influenced by external payments from a side too afraid to confront him directly, implying that she was an agent of the Israeli government.
It all started when this NCTC report explicitly avoided attributing Al Qaeda’s motivations to Islamic ideology, despite the group’s well-documented history adhering to jihadist doctrines. Using generic descriptions for the terrorist cell without referencing Islamic terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism is headscratching unless you’re trying to abide by political correctness where muslims can’t be called “terrorists” because it’s “insensitive.”
The controversial NCTC report clearly detailed significant threats of terrorist activity: “In mid-July 2025, AQAP released the 10th edition of its English-language Inspire Guide—the second issue within a month—celebrating recent attacks in the US and calling on its supporters in the homeland to conduct attacks, using simple attack methods, such as firearms, explosives, knives, vehicle-rammings, or Molotov cocktails. The publication highlighted that proper targets were individuals or organizations that support Israel, as well as law enforcement and the government—almost certainly a reference that includes the USG—and that large protests or civil disturbances could be good opportunities to commit an act of terrorism.”
The report even mentioned Al Qaeda’s propaganda intention for new attacks to be tied to the radical Islamic terrorism of the 9/11 attacks, Kent’s report of course didn’t call it that. The report states: “many of the suggested target themes in recent al-Qa‘ida threats are consistent with the group’s post 9/11 attack plots in the homeland, which focused on aviation, symbolic or economic targets, US military or government employees and facilities, and the US public. Since al-Qa‘ida’s propaganda and media often revisit these themes, they may indicate potential targets that authorities, first responders, and public safety officials should closely monitor.”
The people seeking to attack aviation targets? Simply “violent extremists” not radical Islamic terrorists as the report says “violent extremists have sought to attack aviation targets due to their symbolic and economic value and media attention.” Similar language appears for analysis on symbolic economic targets: “Symbolic Economic Targets: Violent extremists often seek to attack or conduct online messaging campaigns against targets that draw large crowds, incite fear, praise from FTO supporters, and threaten economic interests.” And for government officials: “Government and Public Officials: Violent extremists may justify or incite violence against targets that represent or are linked to perceived grievances or alleged ideological opponents to foment chaos, fear, or political instability.”
“Violent extremists” sure do sound like Islamic terrorist, why not call it what it is? Was it a simple error or was it part of a concerted effort to continue Biden’s woke foreign policy vision? Kent’s responses escalated the matter by choosing to launch personal attacks rather than directly addressing Laura Loomer’s concerns about the report’s failure to explicitly label Al Qaeda as an Islamic terrorist organization. Using his official NCTC account, he dismissed her critique as a “false narrative” and a distraction from ongoing counterterrorism efforts, while noting that NCTC’s work under President Trump is unassailable and that the recent report is based on verified intelligence from multiple disciplines confirming Al Qaeda’s presence and planning across U.S. cities. He added: “This is not a debate over semantics; it’s a war on terror, especially and including Islamist terrorism, we’re committed to winning under Trump’s leadership.” From his personal account later that day, Kent implied without evidence that Laura Loomer was influenced by external payments stating: “Islamic terrorism is generic, we were specific in our report & focused on AQ. I’ve done & will continue to do worse to Islamic terrorists/jihadis than tweet, but that’s the extent you’ll do. Laura is paid by the side that’s too afraid to come at me directly, but knows it’s losing.”
Kent’s antisemitic attacks against Laura Loomer are sadly no surprise given his history of associations with extremist figures during his 2022 congressional campaign for Washington’s 3rd District, where he narrowly lost the general election to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez after defeating incumbent Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler in the primary. During that race, Kent faced scrutiny after appearing on a podcast hosted by Greyson Arnold, a Nazi sympathizer who praised Hitler and expressed admiration for the founder of the American Nazi Party. Back then Kent was also criticized for invoking antisemitic tropes by claiming Herrera Beutler “owes a foreign country, not her constituents,”
Joe Kent faces a critical choice: fully acknowledge and confront the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism in official assessments, or step aside to allow new leadership capable of directly dealing with the ideological realities of groups like Al Qaeda.
