While many Americans worry about threats from abroad, the chilling reality is that domestic terrorism, overwhelmingly driven by far-right extremists, has surged to become one of the gravest dangers facing the nation from within.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 210 documented incidents of domestic terrorism in the United States, primarily driven by far-right extremists
- From 1994 to 2021, right-wing extremists were responsible for 448 attacks and plots out of 893 total domestic terrorist incidents in the US
- In 2020, domestic violent extremists conducted 73 attacks and plots, marking a 250% increase from the average annual number between 2010 and 2019
- Between 2010 and 2020, domestic terrorists used firearms in 57% of 300+ incidents
- From 1994-2020, domestic terrorism attacks and plots killed 107 people
- In 2022, domestic extremists murdered 25 people, the highest since 1995
- 75% of domestic terrorists arrested from 2010-2020 were right-wing, totaling 335 individuals
- From 1994-2020, perpetrators of domestic attacks were 49% right-wing, 25% left-wing, 20% jihadist
- 90% of domestic terrorists arrested in 2021 were white males
- Domestic terrorism investigations rose 357% from FY2013 to FY2021
- Right-wing plots increased 400% from 2016 to 2020
- Lethality of attacks rose 20% annually 2010-2022 for far-right
- FBI disrupted 28 high-threat plots in 2022
- From 2010-2022, 475 domestic terror arrests by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces
- DHS allocated $100 million for CVE programs 2021-2023 targeting domestic terror
Right-wing extremists increasingly drive deadly domestic terrorism in the United States.
Casualties
- Between 2010 and 2020, domestic terrorists used firearms in 57% of 300+ incidents
- From 1994-2020, domestic terrorism attacks and plots killed 107 people
- In 2022, domestic extremists murdered 25 people, the highest since 1995
- Right-wing extremists caused 91 fatalities from 2015-2020
- The 2019 El Paso shooting by a domestic terrorist killed 23
- From 2009-2021, 444 deaths from domestic extremist murders
- In 2020, 16 deaths from far-right domestic terrorism
- Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018 killed 11 by domestic antisemite
- Buffalo supermarket shooting in 2022 killed 10 Black victims
- From 2010-2022, 335 injuries from far-right attacks
- 2021 saw 18 fatalities from racially motivated domestic violence
- Tree of Life attack injured 6 besides deaths
- In 2017, 7 deaths from domestic Islamist extremists
- Poway synagogue shooting killed 1, injured 3 in 2019
- From 1990-2022, GTD records 3,086 fatalities from US domestic terrorism
- 2022 Waukesha parade attack by domestic terrorist killed 6, injured 62
- Charlottesville 2017 Unite the Right rally killed 1, injured 35
- In 2020, 2 deaths from antifa-linked violence
- El Paso Walmart attack injured 23 survivors
- From 2015-2021, 45% of extremist fatalities were law enforcement
- 2015 San Bernardino attack by domestic radicals killed 14, injured 22
- 2023 Allen, TX mall shooting by neo-Nazi killed 8, injured 7
- Pulse nightclub shooting 2016 killed 49, injured 53 by domestic jihadist
- From 2001-2020, 112 deaths from right-wing domestic terrorism
- In 2019, 42 deaths total from domestic extremism
- Portland protests 2020 saw 1 death, 100+ injuries from domestic clashes
- From 1994-2021, 75% of domestic terror fatalities by right-wing actors
Casualties Interpretation
This grim ledger of American terror reveals that while the brand of hatred changes, the bullet's brutal efficiency does not, with a persistent and overwhelming toll exacted by far-right extremists who have turned our public spaces into hunting grounds.
Incidents
- In 2022, there were 210 documented incidents of domestic terrorism in the United States, primarily driven by far-right extremists
- From 1994 to 2021, right-wing extremists were responsible for 448 attacks and plots out of 893 total domestic terrorist incidents in the US
- In 2020, domestic violent extremists conducted 73 attacks and plots, marking a 250% increase from the average annual number between 2010 and 2019
- Between January 1 and September 30, 2020, far-right extremists perpetrated 66% of all terrorist attacks and plots in the US
- In 2019, there were 38 domestic terrorism incidents linked to white supremacists in the US
- From 2009 to 2022, there have been over 450 domestic terrorist incidents attributed to far-right ideologies
- In fiscal year 2021, the FBI opened 9,049 domestic terrorism investigations
- Michigan recorded 25 domestic terrorism-related incidents in 2022, the highest among states
- Salafi-jihadist domestic plots accounted for 15 incidents from 2010-2020
- Antifascist extremists (anarchists) conducted 7 attacks in 2020
- In 2021, 77% of extremist-related murders were committed by domestic terrorists, totaling 35 incidents
- Texas saw 18 far-right domestic terrorism incidents in 2021
- From 2015-2022, racially motivated violent extremists conducted 42 attacks
- In 2018, there were 50 domestic terrorism plots foiled by law enforcement
- California experienced 22 domestic extremist incidents in 2020
- Militia extremists plotted 12 attacks in 2022
- From 1990-2020, the Global Terrorism Database recorded 2,156 domestic terrorist incidents in the US
- In 2023 Q1, 15 domestic terrorism incidents were linked to election-related violence
- Ethnonationalist incidents numbered 8 in 2021
- New York had 19 incidents in 2022 from various domestic groups
- In 2017, 42% of incidents were right-wing motivated, totaling 31 events
- LGBTQ+-targeted domestic terrorism incidents reached 5 in 2022
- From 2016-2020, 110 vehicle-ramming attacks by domestic terrorists
- Florida recorded 16 incidents in 2021
- In 2020, 23 incidents involved improvised explosive devices by domestic actors
- Pennsylvania had 14 militia-related incidents in 2022
- From 2001-2021, 267 incidents by lone actors domestically
- In 2019, 28 arson attacks classified as domestic terrorism
- Ohio saw 12 incidents in 2020
- 2021 saw 45 far-left incidents amid protests
Incidents Interpretation
The numbers paint a stark and unsettling picture: while the threat landscape is complex, the persistent and disproportionate drumbeat of violence in America comes overwhelmingly from the far-right, a grim reality that demands urgent and serious attention.
Perpetrators
- 75% of domestic terrorists arrested from 2010-2020 were right-wing, totaling 335 individuals
- From 1994-2020, perpetrators of domestic attacks were 49% right-wing, 25% left-wing, 20% jihadist
- 90% of domestic terrorists arrested in 2021 were white males
- Average age of domestic terrorists arrested 2008-2021 is 36 years old
- 57% of domestic plots 1994-2020 by lone actors
- Militia Violent Extremists numbered 52 arrests in 2020
- From 2010-2022, 267 domestic terrorists were US military veterans
- 78% of far-right domestic terrorists are US-born citizens
- In 2022, 42% of perpetrators were under 30 years old
- Racially Motivated Violent Extremists (RMVEs) accounted for 62 arrests in FY2021
- 65% of domestic jihadist plotters had prior criminal records
- Sovereign citizen movement had 38 identified perpetrators in 2021
- 23% of domestic terrorists were women from 2015-2022
- White supremacist groups like Atomwaffen Division recruited 50+ members 2015-2020
- In 2020, 15 anarchist perpetrators arrested for riots
- 80% of militia extremists are male, average age 42
- From 2009-2022, 120 domestic terrorists convicted of murder
- 45% of perpetrators radicalized online via social media
- Boogaloo Bois movement had 25 arrests in 2020
- 67% of right-wing domestic terrorists from suburbs
- In 2023, 18 Proud Boys members convicted post-Jan 6
- Antifa identifiers included 12 violent actors in 2021 Portland
- From 2016-2022, 89% of mass shooters linked to extremism were domestic terrorists
- Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced, group had 30+ charged
- 55% of domestic jihadists converted to Islam post-18
- In 2022, 28 QAnon adherents arrested for threats
- From FY2010-FY2020, 4,000+ domestic terrorism subjects investigated by FBI
- 73% of domestic terror convicts sentenced 10+ years
Perpetrators Interpretation
While a clear and concerning majority of recent arrests skew toward the right-wing demographic—often suburban, middle-aged, and radicalized online—the enduring portrait of American domestic terrorism is a disturbingly fragmented mosaic of ideologies, ages, and backgrounds, all united by a capacity for violence.
Response
- FBI disrupted 28 high-threat plots in 2022
- From 2010-2022, 475 domestic terror arrests by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces
- DHS allocated $100 million for CVE programs 2021-2023 targeting domestic terror
- 2021 National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism established fusion centers monitoring
- Over 1,000 Jan 6 domestic terrorists charged by DOJ as of 2023
- FBI's 9,000+ DT investigations in 2021 led to 250 disruptions
- GAO recommended improved info sharing in 2022, implemented in 75% of agencies
- 2022 saw 150+ state-level domestic terror laws enacted
- Tech firms removed 10 million extremist posts 2020-2022
- NCTC tracks 2,000+ domestic subjects
- $220 million congressional funding for domestic terror prevention in FY2023
- 85% conviction rate for federal domestic terror cases 2018-2022
- Local police disrupted 40 plots via fusion centers 2021-2022
- CVE grants awarded to 30 communities for deradicalization
- FBI tips line received 50,000+ domestic terror reports 2022
- Enhanced screening prevented 15 attacks in 2022 airports
- INTERPOL assisted in 20 US domestic terror extraditions 2015-2022
- 2023 NDAA mandates annual domestic terror reports
- 500+ law enforcement trained in domestic terror recognition 2022
- Social media monitoring flagged 5,000 threats preemptively 2022
- State fusion centers processed 1 million tips on domestic terror 2021
- DOJ's 100+ Jan 6 prosecutors secured 700+ guilty pleas
Response Interpretation
The sheer volume of statistics—from millions in funding and millions of posts removed, to thousands of investigations and hundreds of arrests—paints a sobering picture of a nation diligently, and expensively, mopping up a flood of homegrown extremism it is still struggling to turn off at the source.
Trends
- Domestic terrorism investigations rose 357% from FY2013 to FY2021
- Right-wing plots increased 400% from 2016 to 2020
- Lethality of attacks rose 20% annually 2010-2022 for far-right
- Domestic terrorism incidents spiked 300% post-2020 election
- Online radicalization cases tripled from 2015-2022
- Far-left violence peaked in 2020 with 25% of total incidents
- RMVE threats grew 250% since 2016 per DHS assessments
- Post-Jan 6, militia plots increased 150%
- Jihadist domestic plots declined 80% post-2016
- Vehicle ramming attacks up 500% 2016-2022
- Extremist murders highest in 25 years in 2022
- Social media mentions of terror terms up 600% 2020-2023
- Lone actor attacks now 60% of total, up from 40% in 2000s
- Anti-government sentiment plots doubled post-COVID
- White supremacist propaganda distributed tripled 2017-2022
- Domestic incidents shifted 70% to online planning 2018-2022
- Election-related threats rose 300% in 2022 midterms
- Arson as tactic increased 40% in protests 2020
- Youth radicalization under 25 up 50% 2019-2023
- Cross-ideology alliances seen in 15% of 2022 plots
- Firearms usage in attacks steady at 55%, bombs down 30%
- Domestic terror financing via crypto up 200% 2021-2023
- Geopolitical events correlate with 25% incident spikes
- Hate crimes overlapping terror up 45% 2016-2022
- FY2022 saw 2,700 open domestic terror cases, up 25%
Trends Interpretation
While right-wing violence has surged to become America's most persistent and lethal terror threat, the landscape has grown ominously complex with a rising tide of online radicalization, youth recruitment, and diversified tactics.
Sources & References
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