New Jersey Fusion Center Report Assesses Threats to the State, U.S.

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) has published its 2020 Terrorism Threat Assessment, describing terrorist activities that occurred both in the state and in the overall U.S. in the past year and presenting its perspectives on terrorist trends to be on the lookout for. Its assessments of the threat levels associated with each type of threat actor are focused on New Jersey, but they apply to the wider U.S. as well. For example, it states that “homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) will continue to pose a high threat to New Jersey” and that “HVE support in the United States for foreign terrorist organizations will remain a constant, highlighted by an increase in arrests in 2019 compared to the previous year.” In its discussion of domestic threats, the report pays special attention to white supremacist extremists, who it says will pose a high threat. In its discussion of this group, it calls attention to white supremacist incidents that have taken place across the country. The report also includes sections discussing threats from international terrorist groups, such as al Qa’ida and the Islamic State; mass violence; and cybersecurity.