Molly Amman, JD
Molly Amman, JD, is a retired FBI profiler specializing in threat assessment and management related to school and workplace violence, threatening communications, active shooter and other types of planned attacks, public figure threats, stalking and extortion, active crisis incidents such as riots and hostage scenarios, and more; she has extensive experience with both ideologically-motivated (terrorism) and personal grievance-oriented offenders. Molly has collaborated extensively with law enforcement and public safety partners both at home and abroad, intelligence agencies, professional organizations, members of academia, and private sector partners, in assessing threats of violence posed by individuals and groups. She has conducted training around the world and has authored several publications on topics related to threats and targeted violence, including co-authoring the FBI publication Making Prevention a Reality: Identifying, Assessing and Managing the Threat of Violent Attacks. Molly completed several long-term overseas deployments with the FBI to further US and allied threat mitigation and anti-radicalization efforts.
Prior to joining the BAU as a profiler, Molly served as a faculty member at the FBI Academy, teaching communications, investigative interviewing, and detection of deception. Molly also served as a supervisor in the FBI Special Events Management Program, designed to manage public safety assets for crisis response and management, intelligence, and investigations in relation to major special events such as professional sports championships and Olympic games.
Prior to joining the FBI, Molly practiced law as a prosecutor in the Midwest, specializing in violent crime. Since retiring from FBI service in 2020, Molly is now engaged in private practice threat assessment and management. Molly collaborates with other threat management professionals, participates in research and publishing, and is a recognized leader in the field. She currently serves as the national Certification Chair for the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP).
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Programs Featuring Molly Amman, JD
Violent Extremism, 2021: A Threat Assessment Update (Virtual)
Domestic terrorism and extreme belief communities are on the rise in the United States as social and political polarization continues unabated. The recent attack on the US Capitol has dramatically demonstrated how serious and how dangerous these trends are in their reach and influence in our culture.
With a violently contested election, widespread civil unrest, ongoing losses from the pandemic, and a furiously active internet, how do threat assessors identify, assess, and manage individuals who may pose a risk of extremist violence? Are there ways to separate the supporters of various causes from those who intend to act and mobilize for violence?
This virtual seminar, building upon our extremism seminar last September, will be expanded to four, half-day sessions (16 hours). 50% of the content in this program will be new. We will discuss findings and insights from research and in-depth case studies that reveal the psychology of extremist communities and lone actor terrorists. Participants will be instructed on the use of investigative techniques and structured assessment strategies that inform case management decision-making.
Initial topics will include the rising prevalence of violent extremism, conspiracy theory, extreme overvalued beliefs, and stochastic terrorism, including incitement to violence from political leaders. The training will continue with a focus on specific belief systems and movements, including: accelerationism and anti-government, militia extremist movements (including Boogaloo and the Oath Keepers); white supremacist violence and The Great Replacement theory; the Incels and other extreme misogynists; present-day conspiracy theories including QAnon and COVID-19 belief systems; ideologically-motivated groups including Antifa and the Proud Boys; and other domestic terrorists specifically targeting law enforcement. Intensive case studies will deepen understanding of the factors contributing to radicalization and culminating in the various pathways to extremist violence. Cases will include the Michigan anti-government plot, the Christchurch massacre, and the influence of the first “Incel” mass murder in 2014 in Isla Vista, California. As events are continuing to unfold in our current atmosphere of unrest and transition, more recent incidents may be included. The importance of both online and on the ground investigations will be stressed. The training will be framed by the TRAP-18, a validated risk assessment instrument for lone actor terrorist violence.
Emphasis will be placed upon the application of theory and research to the assessment of individuals of concern. A range of intervention strategies will be discussed, incorporating an understanding of the processes of radicalization and deradicalization as well as psychological factors contributing to extremist beliefs. We will identify symptoms of mental illness that may contribute to extremism in individual cases, and how to distinguish these from extreme beliefs per se.
