The Justice Department’s independent watchdog criticized the FBI’s “weaknesses” in identifying homegrown violent extremists through its counterterrorism assessments.

The 47-page report released on Wednesday, which highlighted failures in preventing high-profile "known wolf" attacks such as the Fort Hood murders, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the Pulse nightclub attack, follows an examination of the FBI’s efforts from 2012 through 2018 to identify and stop “global jihad-inspired individuals” radicalized inside the United States without specific direction from a particular foreign terrorist organization.

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found “weaknesses existed in the FBI’s counterterrorism assessment process” and determined the FBI did not adequately carry out a bureau-wide review of closed counterterrorism assessments to see if previously investigated possible terrorists reemerged as threats.

The watchdog concluded the FBI “should identify and address inconsistencies in its reevaluation of closed assessments” and “must address emerging challenges to assess potential HVEs,” or homegrown violent extremists.

Read more: Washington Examiner