New Jersey’s Government Thinks that Imaginary White Supremacists are a Bigger Threat than ISIS

The New York Post reported that New Jersey officials raised the threat level from white supremacists to the highest level possible in an annual threat assessment report released last week.

On the other hand, Islamic terror groups like ISIS are considered a low threat to New Jersey.

The report from last Friday shows that white supremacists are now deemed as a “high” threat for attacks, thus lumping them in with so-called homegrown violent extremists as the biggest dangers.

“The threat from white supremacist extremists increased from moderate to high in 2020 due to the number of threats, plots, and attacks conducted in 2019,” the report asserted.

In contrast, ISIS fell from moderate threat level to low level, effectively joining other Islamic terror groups such as Al Qaeda, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram.

“ISIS continues to focus on establishing its worldwide presence, but the group has not conducted an attack in the United States,” the report stated.

However, it conceded that “ISIS’s inspiration of supporters” still makes “homegrown violent extremists a consistently high threat.”

“Homeland security and law enforcement professionals at all levels have taken notice of the rise in activity from white supremacist extremists,” commented Jared Maples, the director of New Jersey’s Homeland Security ( NJOHSP).

“New Jersey is committed to protecting the diversity of culture and faith that shapes our great State,” he said.

For that reason, the state of New Jersey “increased the threat posed by white supremacist extremists from moderate to high in 2020, joining homegrown violent extremists as the most persistent hostile actors in New Jersey.”

However, this threat level may be misplaced when looking at actual statistics.

A Twitter user The Occidental Jihadist pointed this out when comparing the death toll from Islamic terrorists during the period of 1993 to 2019:

“Death toll from #Whitesupremacy terrorists” since 1993: fewer than 400. Death toll from #Jihadis of #Islam: some 22,000. But sure, New Jersey–continue in denial.”