Sovereign Citizen Extremists

Based in Hate: Rising Threats From Domestic Extremists

Based in Hate: Rising Threats From Domestic Extremists

Communities in New Jersey and throughout the United States have experienced incidents stemming from a variety of ideologies associated with domestic terrorism, including an increased threat posed by white supremacist extremists. In 2019, domestic extremists conducted nine attacks and were responsible for an additional 35 plots, threats of violence, and instances of weapons stockpiling, according to an NJOHSP nationwide review. In particular, race-based extremists were responsible for 57 percent of all domestic terrorism incidents, highlighting a new threat focus for law enforcement.

Join us in the next installment of our 2020 Terrorism Threat Assessment series as our analysts discuss activity from domestic extremists in 2019 and what the threat landscape looks like for these groups this year.

2019 Threat Assessment Series: Domestic Terrorism - A Changing Environment

Domestic extremists’ wide-ranging ideologies pose unique challenges to New Jersey and the surrounding region, as they employ a variety of robust methods to conduct attacks, have varying motivations, and are often willing to engage in violence.

Tune in to the next installment of our 2019 Threat Assessment series as our analysts sit down and discuss the evolving tactics of domestic extremists in 2018 and what the threat landscape posed by these groups will look like this year.

Episode 4: Sovereign Citizen Extremists - Circumventing State Law

Paper terrorism is a tactic sovereign citizen extremists use to intimidate public officials. Some seek relief from criminal charges, demand money, or protest government action. They flood courts, government offices, and law enforcement agencies with bulk fraudulent legal documents, file targeted liens to harass public officials, or submit fictitious paperwork to get unlawful judgments approved. In this episode, Director of Intelligence Rosemary Martorana and Preparedness Bureau Deputy Chief Allison Toll sit down to discuss how criminal penalties in New Jersey for filing false liens are unlikely to deter sovereign citizen extremists as they adopt new methods to circumvent laws.