WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters heeded his call to come together in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. “wild” He protested his defeat. Hundreds of people die after Trump’s lies about stolen election raided the US Capitol Building Under the banners of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other extremist groups and movements.

Many of these far-right networks have disbanded, splintered, or withdrawn from public view since the January 6, 2021 attack. But the specter of election-related chaos did not disappear with them. Experts warn that political violence remains a persistent threat heading into the November 5 election.

Election officials are packed threats, misinformation and “probability” election denier ″ organizations wreaking havoc. The FBI opened an investigation on Monday Fires destroyed hundreds of ballot papers Inside mailboxes in Portland, Oregon, and nearby Vancouver, Washington.

Trump used social media for promotion Violent conspiracy theories These became central features of Republican politics. A lot, Including Trump he himself sought to recast the Capitol rioters as 1776-style patriots and political prisoners. Trump also vowed to pursue the military “Enemies from within.”

Four years ago, most of the Trump supporters in the mob had no criminal records or affiliations with any group other than their shared loyalty to a president who encouraged them to Trump. “Fight like hell.” This helps explain why it can be difficult for authorities to detect and fend off threats.

“It only takes one person to cause a lot of damage,” said Kurt Braddock, an American University professor who studies extremism.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder Global Project Against Hate and ExtremismHe said the extremists he watches don’t seem focused on this year’s election — at least in their online chatter. Many of the Capitol riot defendants who flooded social media with self-incriminating posts before, during and after the siege have likely learned a lesson.

“We have no idea if there is anything going on in the encrypted chats,” he added.

Experts say that during this election cycle, Trump and his allies have stirred up anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant rhetoric in a way that energizes extremists. After January 6, Proud Boys organized protests. drag queen story hours. Recently, Springfield, Ohio, was plagued with fake bomb threats following the rise to power of Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance. fake, xenophobic rumors It’s about Haitian immigrants in the city.

Far-right conspiracy theories of all kinds are spreading almost unchecked main platformsIncluding a bunch of lies about the federal government’s response hurricane-ravaged North Carolinaa state of oscillation.

Trump and his allies often use his rallies, including one on Sunday, as a platform to spread racism and xenophobia. New York’s Madison Square Garden leading to comparisons A pro-Nazi rally in 1939. Vice President Kamala Harris says her former chief of staff John Kelly believes Trump is a fascist. He praised Adolf Hitler while in the office.

Trump was He was hit in the ear with a gun during one two assassination attempts against him this year. He accused Democrats of encouraging an unstable political climate, accusing him of being a threat to democracy.

Beirich said it may be difficult for authorities to prevent election-related threats “because they can occur anywhere in the country.” He and other experts fear extremists will likely try to disrupt vote counting in battleground states.

“It feels a bit like the calm before the storm,” he said.

Extremism experts are hardly alone in their fears: Nearly 4 in 10 registered voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results of next month’s election. a new survey It is conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

More than 200 of the more than 1,500 defendants charged in the Jan. 6 attack have been identified by federal authorities as having ties to extremist groups or movements. Associated Press review of court records.

They include nearly 80 leaders, members or associates of the far-right Proud Boys and more than 30 defendants affiliated with the anti-government Oath Keepers. Other groups included Groyper movementHe had fewer followers charged in federal court.

Four years ago, Trump told the Proud Boys: “Stand back and stand by” During his first debate against Democrat Joe Biden. Caucus leaders celebrated Trump’s shout and enthusiastically joined the fray when Trump invited his supporters to Washington for a “Stop the Steal” rally.

Today, some Proud Boys top leaders And Oath Keepers They are serving a prison sentence of up to 22 years for violent conspiracies to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden.

The imprisonment of the groups’ national leaders left a vacuum. It has been noted that this section for the Proud Boys is partially populated by local branches that see themselves as autonomous and tend to support more extreme ideologies. Jared HoltHe’s a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate.

“Their corporate capabilities are greatly diminished from 2020,” Holt said. “In the post-election period, there is always the possibility that these groups will suddenly find the motivation to take action and participate in events. But this year they’ve been pretty docile.”

Oath Keepers trained by Yale Law School Stewart Rhodes The company, founded in 2009, has withered since his arrest and imprisonment.

“This was her baby, and no one stepped up to fill her void,” Holt said.

Dozens of Capitol rioters were anti-government followers Three Percent movement belonged to militia groups with names such as or Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers, Southern Indiana Patriots And Patriot Boys of North Texas. Beirich said the government’s response to Jan. 6 put a “major hurdle” on the militias.

“They don’t disappear,” he said. “They may pop up elsewhere, but I would say the militias have been relatively inactive compared to last year or so.”

Many of the January 6 rioters were inspired by this QAnonIt focused on the unfounded belief that Trump was secretly fighting a Satan-worshipping, child sex-trafficking ring made up of prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites. self-describing “QAnon Shaman” He remains one of the most recognizable figures of the rebellion.

Mike RothschildThe author of “The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, a Cult, and a Conspiracy Theory of Everything” said the QAnon movement has moved beyond its strange web of “riddles and codes.”

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube QAnon cracked down on After January 6, he directs believers to platforms like Telegram or Trump’s Truth Social. Many flocked to Twitter, now called X, after Elon Musk bought it, Rothschild said. He believes QAnon adherents remain “extremely dangerous.”

“They had four years to accumulate their anger and grievances,” he said.