Ep 5. The Anti-Terror Squad

The Criminal Minds season 12 episode 5, titled "The Anti-Terror Squad," focuses on the BAU's investigation into a potential terrorist attack on American soil. The episode starts with an explosion at a popular shopping mall in Florida that kills several people and leaves dozens injured. The BAU is called in to investigate the incident and determine if it was a terrorist attack or if there is another explanation behind the incident.

As the team begins investigating the incident, they discover that there have been several similar attacks across the country over the past few months. All the attacks were carried out by individuals who have no known links to any terrorist organizations, and the team is stumped as to what their motivation could be. The team begins looking for patterns in the attacks and soon discovers that all the attackers were part of a secret online group that calls itself the Anti-Terror Squad.

The Anti-Terror Squad, or ATS, is a group of individuals who are convinced that the US government is working with terrorists to destabilize the country. They believe that the government is using the threat of terrorism to increase surveillance on its citizens and erode their civil liberties. The members of ATS have been carrying out these attacks as a way to draw attention to their cause and force the government to take action to protect the country.

The team realizes that they need to track down the members of ATS before another attack occurs. They begin looking into the online activity of the group and soon find a lead – the username of one of the members who has been very active on the forums. The team traces the username to a computer in a small town in rural Texas and sets out to investigate.

When they arrive in Texas, the team is met with hostility from the local community. They are seen as outsiders who are there to disrupt their way of life, and tensions between the community and the team escalate quickly. However, the team remains focused on their mission and continues to investigate.

As they dig deeper, they begin to unravel a larger conspiracy involving the local authorities. They discover that the sheriff of the town is a member of ATS and has been using his position to cover up their activities. The team is shocked to learn that the very people who are supposed to protect the country are the ones who are working to undermine it.

The team fights against time to track down the members of ATS and prevent another attack. However, as tensions continue to rise in the community, they are faced with a difficult decision – do they risk further harm to the innocent civilians by continuing their investigation, or do they pull out and let the ATS members continue their activities?

The Criminal Minds season 12 episode 5 is a tense and gripping look at the threat of domestic terrorism and how it can be difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The team is faced with difficult decisions and must rely on their training and instincts to protect the country from those who would do it harm.