NEW JERSEY — New Jersey officials say the white supremacist threat has grown so much that it’s bigger than either ISIS or al-Qaida, the group responsible for killing nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001.
New Jersey released its annual “Terrorism Threat Assessment” report Friday, raising the threat level for white supremacist extremists to “high.” Homegrown violent extremists were also ranked at that same level, the highest threat identified in the report.
The 2020 report, released by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, moved the white supremacist threat from “moderate” to “high,” while moving ISIS from “moderate” to “low.”
The report cited the El Paso Walmart shooting that killed 22 people as an example for why the white supremacist threat increased.
Other incidents were cited to bolster the argument that the threat of homegrown violent extremists and white supremacists is “high”:
Fred Arena of Salem (Salem County) was indicted on charges of making false statements to government agents. He was a member of Vanguard America, a white supremacist extremist group, and lied about his involvement on his application for a security clearance, authorities said. Arena espoused violent rhetoric online and expressed a willingness to fight anti-fascists and law enforcement, authorities said.Michael Zaremski of Green Township (Sussex County) was indicted on weapons charges and bias intimidation. Zaremski’s ex-girlfriend claimed he was fascinated with Hitler, had an interest in committing a mass shooting in a hospital, and sent her Jewish employer anti-Semitic material. Investigators said they discovered white supremacist content on his phone and computer. Authorities accused Jonathan Xie of Basking Ridge (Somerset County) of attempting to provide material support to Hamas after he sent money to someone he believed was a member of the group, authorities said. Additionally, authorities said they saw Xie outside Trump Tower in New York City shortly before he posted on social media that he wanted to attack that location or the Israeli Consulate General. Alexei Saab of Morristown (Morris County) was indicted on multiple terrorism charges. Saab, a naturalized American citizen from Lebanon, was accused of acting as a scout for the Islamic Jihad Organization, the foreign operations wing of Hizballah. While living in the United States, Saab conducted detailed preoperational surveillance for potential future target locations, including the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, authorities said.
“Communities across the United States and around the globe have suffered unimaginable tragedies over the past year at the hands of individuals driven by hate,” Jared M. Maples, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, wrote in the report.
Recruiting efforts by various groups also continue to be prevalent, he said.
ISIS, meanwhile, continues to focus on establishing its worldwide presence, “but the group has not conducted an attack in the United States,” the report said.
“ISIS’ inspiration of supporters in the United States makes homegrown violent extremists a consistently high threat,” the report said.
Black separatist extremists went from “low” in 2019 to “moderate” in threat level in 2020’s report following December’s shooting deaths of six people in an anti-Semitic hate attack in Jersey City.
David Anderson and Francine Graham fatally shot three people and injured one at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City shortly after killing a police detective at a nearby cemetery, authorities said. The pair engaged in an hourslong shootout with responding officers, injuring two, before being killed.
Both Anderson and Graham expressed anti-Semitic and anti-law enforcement views
prior to committing the attack. Read more: Man Accused In Hanukkah Attacks Searched For Temples In NJ: Feds
Here is the list below: