Cybersecurity expert worries about the 'Timothy McVeighs' lurking amongst anti-mask extremists

During a segment on MSNBC this Wednesday, host Nicole Wallace referenced a recent story about an Idaho official who had to leave a health board meeting after she learned anti-maskers were swarming her home while her 12-year-old child was alone inside.

Wallace turned to senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, Clint Watts, asking him at what point law enforcement needs to step in and intervene in such situations.

According to Watts, if the anti-maskers were instead radical Islamists, law enforcement would be immediately engaged, adding that the anti-mask sentiment is "clearly inciting violence or threatening violence" in much the same way radicalized Islamists did in the run-up to terror attacks a decade ago.

"I think at this point, there's been several instances that have crossed the line," he said. "I think we have a scaling problem though, and also a problem where the FBI has been degraded in terms of its public reputation."

"We got some weird currents in the country, and I don't know how this ends without violence and death, meaning we'll have a tragic incident," he later said, adding that the worst is possibly yet to come after Biden is inaugurated. "We now have extremists out there, they are plotting and planning, there are no targets for them because it's COVID-19 ... there is a very limited number of ways they can attack -- I'm worried about the Timothy McVeighs, the Eric Rudolph types."

Watch the segment in the video below: