Project Megiddo was a report researched and written by the United States'
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
under
Director Louis Freeh. Released on October 20, 1999, the report named followers of
white supremacy,
Christian Identity, the
American militia movement,
Black Hebrew Israelites, and
apocalyptic cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
s as potential terrorists who might become violent in reaction to the new millennium.
The report began:
For over four thousand years, MEGIDDO, a hill in northern Israel, has been the site of many battles. Ancient cities were established there to serve as a fortress on the plain of Jezreel to guard a mountain pass. As Megiddo was built and rebuilt, one city upon the other, a mound or hill was formed. The Hebrew word " Armageddon" means "hill of Megiddo." In English, the word has come to represent battle itself. The last book in the New Testament of the Bible designates Armageddon as the assembly point in the apocalyptic setting of God's final and conclusive battle against evil. The name "Megiddo" is an apt title for a project that analyzes those who believe the year 2000 will usher in the end of the world and who are willing to perpetrate acts of violence to bring that end about.
The report's purpose was to warn other domestic law enforcement agencies to "the potential for extremist criminal activity in the United States by individuals or domestic groups who attach special significance to the year 2000." The report also stated: "The threat posed by extremists as a result of
perceived events associated with the Year 2000 is very real. The volatile mix of apocalyptic religious and
(New World Order) conspiracy theories may produce violent acts aimed at precipitating the
end of the world as prophesied in the Bible."
The groups named as "potentially violent" were "biblically-driven cults," "militias, adherents of racist belief systems such as Christian Identity and
Wotanism, and other radical domestic extremists." The report ends by discussing the possibility of terrorist attacks in the city of
Jerusalem, saying, "The extreme terrorist fringes of
Christianity,
Judaism, and
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
are all present in the United States. Thus, millennial violence in Jerusalem could conceivably lead to violence in the United States as well."
''
Insight on the News'' commented, "In a
polemic presented as a threat report, the FBI has targeted religious groups and
rightwing eccentrics as potential terrorists likely to
go postal as the new millennium arrives ... Even at the height of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
during the 1970s and 1980s the FBI was not allowed to pursue openly declared revolutionary
Marxists
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectic ...
in this way, being required by the courts to show cause by establishing an actual attempt to commit illegal acts."
The
American Civil Liberties Union cited Project Megiddo in its defense of filmmaker
Mike Zieper, whose film about a military takeover of
Times Square was removed from the Internet due to FBI pressure. On November 10, 1999, the
International Asatru-Odinic Alliance
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
accused the FBI of violating its
First Amendment rights to
freedom of religion,
free speech, and
peaceful assembly. The reason given for this accusation was the propagation of "numerous false statements and innuendos" about
Odinism
Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th centu ...
in the Project Megiddo report.
On January 6, 2000,
U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said in response to a question at a news conference asking why the terrorist acts predicted in the report did not happen:
WEEKLY MEDIA BRIEFING WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO, JANUARY 6, 2000
/ref>
I think that speculation as to why it didn't -- it -- the nice answer would be that there was no threat. What we must all do, I think, is make sure that we pursue situations, consistent with the law, consistent with due process; that we take reasonable precautions; that we -- when we have specific information that can inform the American people, that we advise them; and that America proceed in the way it has always proceeded, that it won't back down, that it won't be intimidated, that it will take reasonable precautions, and that we will see our laws honored.
See also
* 2000 millennium attack plots
A series of Islamist terrorist attacks linked to al-Qaeda were planned to occur on or near January 1, 2000, in the context of millennium celebrations, including bombing plots against four tourist sites in Jordan, the Los Angeles International A ...
References
External links
Public US Government archive of the project
.
">FBI Targets `Right Wing' - Project Megiddo lists possible threats in the millenium
Project Megiddo #2
* ttp://www.usdoj.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2000/1600avail.htm Media Briefing with Attorney General Janet Reno: January 6, 2000
White supremacy in the United States
Religiously motivated violence in the United States
Law enforcement operations in the United States
2000 in the United States
Counterterrorism
Germanic neopaganism
Black Hebrew Israelites
Apocalypticism
Christian Identity
Turn of the third millennium