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A year after Donald Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol to overturn his election defeat, New Jerseys new homeland security chief says her biggest concern about political violence isnt another physical attack but a widening campaign of online recruitment and cyberattacks by extremist groups.

Ahead of congressional midterm elections that could include key contests in New Jersey this fall, Laurie Doran said theres no indication whatsoever of any credible threats of political violence.

But extremistpropaganda andrecruitment efforts continue to rise online in an effort tostiranti-government sentiment,said Doran, who took over last June as acting director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

In an interview this week, Doran said her agency is focused on fighting cyber threatsas well as helping elections systems down to the local level guard against online sabotage.

More and more people are moving online, and bad actors use everything from misinformation and disinformation campaignsto malware and ransomware to disrupt regular business but also to try and disrupt elections, Doran said.

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False reports about voter fraud and election integrity led some Americans to questionnot just Trump's loss to Joe Biden inthe last presidential election, but also the trustworthiness of American democratic systems in general.

On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands attendedthe Stop the Steal rally at the U.S. Capitol that had been organized and promoted on social media and messaging platforms. Online, participants had openly discussed storming the Capitol and attackingpolice officersand federal employees while demanding a recount.

Rallygoers overwhelmed police officers as they stormed into the federal building where certification of the presidential election was underway.

The public may have been surprised by the events that day, but in New Jersey, the Office of Homeland Security had warned about the potential for violence in a report two months earlier.

Domestic extremists and foreign groups were busy spreadingfalse reportsof election fraud, hoping to incite fear and civil unrest, the agency warned at the time.

In the past year, extremist activity and recruitment has expanded further into the virtual world, Doran said this week. Law enforcement agencies can't curb free speech, she said, but they follow up in specific cases of violent incidents or threats.

We recognize that while not all of us agree with some of the rhetoric going around, people have that First Amendment right to say what they want, Doran said. Its when they cross that line [into violence] is when we have to focus on it.

Doran serves as Gov. Phil Murphy's homeland security adviser and is responsible for coordinating counterterrorism, cybersecurityand emergency preparedness efforts in the state. She worked for 32 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, serving overseas for the majority of her career, before joining the state office in 2018.

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The Jan. 6 attack left140 police officersinjured and five people dead, including Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick, a New Brunswick native who had two strokes hours after a pair of rioters -- also from New Jersey -- targeted him with a chemical spray.

Over the past year, 26 New Jersey residents have been arrested for their involvement on Jan. 6, including four former members of the U.S. military. Morethan 725 were arrested across the country.

Those charged included Scott Fairlamb of Sussex County, who admitted to assaulting an officer during the attack on the Capitol. He was sentenced in November to 41 months, once of the harshest punishments yet given for the siege in Washington.

Other cases are still pending.George Tanios and Julian Khater, who grew up in Middlesex County, face charges including assault on an officer with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to injure an officer and civil disorder. The pair allegedly targeted Sicknick and other Capitol cops with bear spray.

Authorities are still seeking and arresting other suspects. Just last month, two people fromSouth Jersey Michael Gianos and Marine reservist Marcos Panayiotou were arrestedfor their role in storming the building.

In the wake of the attack, callshave grown for technology companies like Facebook and Twitterto do more to monitor and remove online disinformation and threats. While the platforms have removed some offending pages and suspended problematic social media accounts,content pushing false reports and encouraging extremist violenceremains online.

Authoritiesare also focusing on promoting fact-checking and counter-messages. Federal and state agencies, including the state Homeland Security office, have webpages dedicated to dispelling false information and rumors.

Groups such as the Anti-Defamation Leaguehave also promoted the use of videos, webpages and adsto reach individuals who searched for violent extremist content online and training for parents to understand and act on early signs of radicalization.

Doran also urgedNew Jerseyansto be more cautious about what they read or listen to online and to get information from reliable sources across the political spectrum.

"We are just looking at open-source information," she said. "Regardless of what side of the aisle you consider yourself to be on, there is a lot of information out there on the internet that is crap. Its not true."

HannanAdelyis a diversity reporter covering Arab and Muslim communities for NorthJersey.com, where she focuses onsocial issues, politics, bias and civil rights.To get unlimited access to the latest news,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email:adely@northjersey.com

Twitter:@adelyreporter

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Year after Capitol riot, NJ Homeland Security chief concerned over rising online recruitment - NorthJersey.com