U.S. intelligence agencies identified domestic extremists whose grievances were rooted in election-related conspiracy theoriesincluding beliefs in widespread voter fraud and animosity toward perceived political opponents, as the most likely threat of violence in upcoming elections.

In a Joint Intelligence Bulletin that has not been publicly distributed but was reviewed by NBC News, agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning state and local law enforcement that domestic violent extremists seeking to terrorize and disrupting the vote constitute a threat to the vote. elections and throughout inauguration day.

The report identifies potential targets such as candidates, elected officials, election workers, members of the media and judges involved in election cases. Potential threats include physical attacks and violence at polling places, ballot drop boxes, voter registration locations, and campaign rallies and events.

The October internal report was among several intelligence documents obtained through public records requests by Property of the People, a nonprofit group focused on government transparency. Federal agents routinely provide this type of threat assessment to state and local law enforcement agencies through official bulletins. Before January 6, 2021, they were more reluctant to distribute they worry that investigations into Americans could appear to violate free speech protections.

“The United States remains in a dynamic and heightened threat environment and we continue to share information with our law enforcement partners on the threats posed by domestic violent extremists in the context of the 2024 elections,” he said. DHS spokesperson Mayra Rodriguez said in a statement. “Violence has no place in our policy, and DHS continues to work with our partners to assess and mitigate emerging threats that may emanate from domestic or foreign actors. »

Still, these reports “are not typical election threat intelligence,” said Ryan Shapiro, executive director of Property of the People. “These documents are undoubtedly the product of a radically increased threat environment. »

Former President Donald Trump claimed elections had been rigged against him since 2016, when he won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote. In 2020, he and his allies increased false allegations of cheating – lies that the courts quickly overturned – but those allegations fueled a violent attack on the Capitol, which aimed to overturn the election.

Perceptions of voter fraud are a “significant narrative” for extremists who have targeted government and election officials, with at least three domestic extremist attacks and two foiled plots being linked to such false claims since Jan. 6, the report said. . Intelligence agents also listed immigrationLGBTQ issues, abortion and failed assassination attempts against Trump as motivations for recent calls for violence from extremists.

Threats against election workers — including letters containing white powder, online harassment and threats, and crushingin which fake calls to emergency services trigger potentially dangerous law enforcement responses to people’s homes — have recently increased, according to the FBI. Such threats usually come from regions where election results have been disputed, according to the report.

Election officials responded to the warnings by rise in power security measures. In Maricopa County, Arizona, the epicenter of 2020 election conspiracy theories and challenges, officials are would have implemented increased security measures on Election Day, including metal detectors, armed guards, drones and police snipers.

These reports follow others published in recent weeks which warn of an increase in online discussions about a looming civil war, as well as several incidents of violence or foiled attacks before the elections. The agents wrote that some extremists were “responding to the 2024 election season and important political issues by engaging in illegal or violent preparatory activities that they associate with the narrative of impending civil war.”

A separate October bulletin from the Colorado State Threat Assessment Center highlighted threats posed by people challenging the legitimacy of the 2020 election results. The report highlights the problem of ‘insider threats’ , where people with authorized access to the electoral process could attempt to derail it. It also noted an “ongoing dialogue between individuals in extremist chat groups and forums that the results of the 2020 election were inaccurate.”

The report notes recent incidents of targeted violence, including increased activity by white nationalists and Proud Boy organizing against Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. He also noted disturbing calls for violence on anonymous online chat rooms, targeting election workers and undocumented immigrants as part of “preparing to defend against election theft.”