US intelligence reports warn of extremist threat around election

WASHINGTON: US security officials are warning that violent domestic extremists pose a threat to the presidential election nextmonth, amidwhat one official called a “witch’s brew” of rising political tensions, civil unrest and foreign disinformation campaigns. FBI and US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memos say threats by domestic extremists to election-related targets will likely increase in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. Those warnings so far have largely remained internal. But New Jersey’s homeland security office took the unusual step of publicly highlighting the threat in a little-noticed report on itswebsite lastweek. “You have this witch’s brew that really hasn’t happened in America’s history. And if it has, it’s been decades if not centuries,” said Jared Maples, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.—News desk