2019 Threat Assessment Series: Inspired Terrorists - A 2018 Review of Homegrown Violent Extremists

Summary: Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) are individuals inspired—as opposed to directed—by foreign terrorist organizations and radicalized in the countries in which they are born, raised, or reside. These organizations continue to call for attacks in the West, despite the groups’ inability to execute large-scale attacks in recent years. HVE support in the United States for foreign terrorist organizations will remain unremitting, despite a decline in HVE attacks and overall activity since 2015. In 2018, there were seven individuals involved in attacks and plots nationwide and eight others charged with material support. Join us as we discuss why HVEs remain the highest threat to New Jersey due to their sustained support of foreign terrorist groups, the unpredictability of attacks, and their susceptibility to online propaganda.