Scholars seek to stop ISIS by knowing where fighters come from

(The Christian Science Monitor) Al-Qaeda has fallen to second place for popularity in the United States, as the self-described Islamic State militant group has skillfully employed social media to appeal to a diverse group of sympathizers across all 50 states, according to a new report published Tuesday by the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

The reach of IS into the United States is as misunderstood as it is feared. But in the report, authors Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes compile what is known about all 71 suspects who have already been identified with hope of informing efforts to combat the terrorist group's reach in America.   

One major challenge to this effort is how diverse in background the confirmed radicals are. Mostly male, they range in age from 15 to 47 and are usually U.S. citizens. Converts to Islam are overrepresented among those radicalized.