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
1Between 2010 and 2020, domestic terrorists used firearms in 57% of 300+ incidents
Verified2From 1994-2020, domestic terrorism attacks and plots killed 107 people
Verified3In 2022, domestic extremists murdered 25 people, the highest since 1995
Verified4Right-wing extremists caused 91 fatalities from 2015-2020
Directional5The 2019 El Paso shooting by a domestic terrorist killed 23
Single source6From 2009-2021, 444 deaths from domestic extremist murders
Verified7In 2020, 16 deaths from far-right domestic terrorism
Verified8Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018 killed 11 by domestic antisemite
Verified9Buffalo supermarket shooting in 2022 killed 10 Black victims
Directional10From 2010-2022, 335 injuries from far-right attacks
Single source112021 saw 18 fatalities from racially motivated domestic violence
Verified12Tree of Life attack injured 6 besides deaths
Verified13In 2017, 7 deaths from domestic Islamist extremists
Verified14Poway synagogue shooting killed 1, injured 3 in 2019
Directional15From 1990-2022, GTD records 3,086 fatalities from US domestic terrorism
Single source162022 Waukesha parade attack by domestic terrorist killed 6, injured 62
Verified17Charlottesville 2017 Unite the Right rally killed 1, injured 35
Verified18In 2020, 2 deaths from antifa-linked violence
Verified19El Paso Walmart attack injured 23 survivors
Directional20From 2015-2021, 45% of extremist fatalities were law enforcement
Single source212015 San Bernardino attack by domestic radicals killed 14, injured 22
Verified222023 Allen, TX mall shooting by neo-Nazi killed 8, injured 7
Verified23Pulse nightclub shooting 2016 killed 49, injured 53 by domestic jihadist
Verified24From 2001-2020, 112 deaths from right-wing domestic terrorism
Directional25In 2019, 42 deaths total from domestic extremism
Single source26Portland protests 2020 saw 1 death, 100+ injuries from domestic clashes
Verified27From 1994-2021, 75% of domestic terror fatalities by right-wing actors
VerifiedCasualties 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
1In 2022, there were 210 documented incidents of domestic terrorism in the United States, primarily driven by far-right extremists
Verified2From 1994 to 2021, right-wing extremists were responsible for 448 attacks and plots out of 893 total domestic terrorist incidents in the US
Verified3In 2020, domestic violent extremists conducted 73 attacks and plots, marking a 250% increase from the average annual number between 2010 and 2019
Verified4Between January 1 and September 30, 2020, far-right extremists perpetrated 66% of all terrorist attacks and plots in the US
Directional5In 2019, there were 38 domestic terrorism incidents linked to white supremacists in the US
Single source6From 2009 to 2022, there have been over 450 domestic terrorist incidents attributed to far-right ideologies
Verified7In fiscal year 2021, the FBI opened 9,049 domestic terrorism investigations
Verified8Michigan recorded 25 domestic terrorism-related incidents in 2022, the highest among states
Verified9Salafi-jihadist domestic plots accounted for 15 incidents from 2010-2020
Directional10Antifascist extremists (anarchists) conducted 7 attacks in 2020
Single source11In 2021, 77% of extremist-related murders were committed by domestic terrorists, totaling 35 incidents
Verified12Texas saw 18 far-right domestic terrorism incidents in 2021
Verified13From 2015-2022, racially motivated violent extremists conducted 42 attacks
Verified14In 2018, there were 50 domestic terrorism plots foiled by law enforcement
Directional15California experienced 22 domestic extremist incidents in 2020
Single source16Militia extremists plotted 12 attacks in 2022
Verified17From 1990-2020, the Global Terrorism Database recorded 2,156 domestic terrorist incidents in the US
Verified18In 2023 Q1, 15 domestic terrorism incidents were linked to election-related violence
Verified19Ethnonationalist incidents numbered 8 in 2021
Directional20New York had 19 incidents in 2022 from various domestic groups
Single source21In 2017, 42% of incidents were right-wing motivated, totaling 31 events
Verified22LGBTQ+-targeted domestic terrorism incidents reached 5 in 2022
Verified23From 2016-2020, 110 vehicle-ramming attacks by domestic terrorists
Verified24Florida recorded 16 incidents in 2021
Directional25In 2020, 23 incidents involved improvised explosive devices by domestic actors
Single source26Pennsylvania had 14 militia-related incidents in 2022
Verified27From 2001-2021, 267 incidents by lone actors domestically
Verified28In 2019, 28 arson attacks classified as domestic terrorism
Verified29Ohio saw 12 incidents in 2020
Directional302021 saw 45 far-left incidents amid protests
Single sourceIncidents 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
175% of domestic terrorists arrested from 2010-2020 were right-wing, totaling 335 individuals
Verified2From 1994-2020, perpetrators of domestic attacks were 49% right-wing, 25% left-wing, 20% jihadist
Verified390% of domestic terrorists arrested in 2021 were white males
Verified4Average age of domestic terrorists arrested 2008-2021 is 36 years old
Directional557% of domestic plots 1994-2020 by lone actors
Single source6Militia Violent Extremists numbered 52 arrests in 2020
Verified7From 2010-2022, 267 domestic terrorists were US military veterans
Verified878% of far-right domestic terrorists are US-born citizens
Verified9In 2022, 42% of perpetrators were under 30 years old
Directional10Racially Motivated Violent Extremists (RMVEs) accounted for 62 arrests in FY2021
Single source1165% of domestic jihadist plotters had prior criminal records
Verified12Sovereign citizen movement had 38 identified perpetrators in 2021
Verified1323% of domestic terrorists were women from 2015-2022
Verified14White supremacist groups like Atomwaffen Division recruited 50+ members 2015-2020
Directional15In 2020, 15 anarchist perpetrators arrested for riots
Single source1680% of militia extremists are male, average age 42
Verified17From 2009-2022, 120 domestic terrorists convicted of murder
Verified1845% of perpetrators radicalized online via social media
Verified19Boogaloo Bois movement had 25 arrests in 2020
Directional2067% of right-wing domestic terrorists from suburbs
Single source21In 2023, 18 Proud Boys members convicted post-Jan 6
Verified22Antifa identifiers included 12 violent actors in 2021 Portland
Verified23From 2016-2022, 89% of mass shooters linked to extremism were domestic terrorists
Verified24Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced, group had 30+ charged
Directional2555% of domestic jihadists converted to Islam post-18
Single source26In 2022, 28 QAnon adherents arrested for threats
Verified27From FY2010-FY2020, 4,000+ domestic terrorism subjects investigated by FBI
Verified2873% of domestic terror convicts sentenced 10+ years
VerifiedPerpetrators 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
1FBI disrupted 28 high-threat plots in 2022
Verified2From 2010-2022, 475 domestic terror arrests by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces
Verified3DHS allocated $100 million for CVE programs 2021-2023 targeting domestic terror
Verified42021 National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism established fusion centers monitoring
Directional5Over 1,000 Jan 6 domestic terrorists charged by DOJ as of 2023
Single source6FBI's 9,000+ DT investigations in 2021 led to 250 disruptions
Verified7GAO recommended improved info sharing in 2022, implemented in 75% of agencies
Verified82022 saw 150+ state-level domestic terror laws enacted
Verified9Tech firms removed 10 million extremist posts 2020-2022
Directional10NCTC tracks 2,000+ domestic subjects
Single source11$220 million congressional funding for domestic terror prevention in FY2023
Verified1285% conviction rate for federal domestic terror cases 2018-2022
Verified13Local police disrupted 40 plots via fusion centers 2021-2022
Verified14CVE grants awarded to 30 communities for deradicalization
Directional15FBI tips line received 50,000+ domestic terror reports 2022
Single source16Enhanced screening prevented 15 attacks in 2022 airports
Verified17INTERPOL assisted in 20 US domestic terror extraditions 2015-2022
Verified182023 NDAA mandates annual domestic terror reports
Verified19500+ law enforcement trained in domestic terror recognition 2022
Directional20Social media monitoring flagged 5,000 threats preemptively 2022
Single source21State fusion centers processed 1 million tips on domestic terror 2021
Verified22DOJ's 100+ Jan 6 prosecutors secured 700+ guilty pleas
VerifiedResponse 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
1Domestic terrorism investigations rose 357% from FY2013 to FY2021
Verified2Right-wing plots increased 400% from 2016 to 2020
Verified3Lethality of attacks rose 20% annually 2010-2022 for far-right
Verified4Domestic terrorism incidents spiked 300% post-2020 election
Directional5Online radicalization cases tripled from 2015-2022
Single source6Far-left violence peaked in 2020 with 25% of total incidents
Verified7RMVE threats grew 250% since 2016 per DHS assessments
Verified8Post-Jan 6, militia plots increased 150%
Verified9Jihadist domestic plots declined 80% post-2016
Directional10Vehicle ramming attacks up 500% 2016-2022
Single source11Extremist murders highest in 25 years in 2022
Verified12Social media mentions of terror terms up 600% 2020-2023
Verified13Lone actor attacks now 60% of total, up from 40% in 2000s
Verified14Anti-government sentiment plots doubled post-COVID
Directional15White supremacist propaganda distributed tripled 2017-2022
Single source16Domestic incidents shifted 70% to online planning 2018-2022
Verified17Election-related threats rose 300% in 2022 midterms
Verified18Arson as tactic increased 40% in protests 2020
Verified19Youth radicalization under 25 up 50% 2019-2023
Directional20Cross-ideology alliances seen in 15% of 2022 plots
Single source21Firearms usage in attacks steady at 55%, bombs down 30%
Verified22Domestic terror financing via crypto up 200% 2021-2023
Verified23Geopolitical events correlate with 25% incident spikes
Verified24Hate crimes overlapping terror up 45% 2016-2022
Directional25FY2022 saw 2,700 open domestic terror cases, up 25%
Single sourceTrends 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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