The State Department is considering labeling a white supremacist group as a foreign terrorist organization, Politico reported.

Atomwaffen, which translates to nuclear weapons in German, is a neo-Nazi group that was started in the U.S. and has expanded into the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Estonia. Designating the group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) is said to be a top priority of former U.S. officials and counterterrorism analysts.

With the label of an FTO, the State Department can aggressively collect better intel on white supremacist groups like Atomwaffen, The Hill reported.

However, the designation of the label hasn't been approved by the White House.

While Barack Obama was president, the White House pushed for FTO designations of Boko Haram, Pakistan Taliban and Haqqani Network. With Donald Trump in office, the White House has pushed for designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups, The Hill reported.

Yet, when it comes to white supremacy-related attacks and affiliations, Trump has been reluctant in categorizing them as FTOs.

At the 2017 Unite the Right rally, an alt-right gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia, counter-protester Heather Heyer was fatally run over by a white supremacist‘s car, however, Trump said both sides were at fault.

Trump also said there were “very fine people” on both sides.

In order for Atomwaffen to be designated an FTO, the State Department has to monitor the group's foreign-based activities and document its potential to threaten U.S. national security interests, which is said to be difficult to achieve, The Hill reported.

The Atomwaffen Division is the group's American branch, and its former leader John Cameron Denton was recently arrested.

Denton has been accused of sharing child pornography, The Washington Post reported. Investigators were told by two co-conspirators that Denton “scanned and sent photos” of a 16-year-old girl and was exchanging child pornography with another individual.

Two other leaders were accused of conspiring to intimidate journalists by calling police to their home and office addresses.

Foreign-Terrorist-Organization

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