While a river of horrific statistics reveals that over two-thirds of domestic extremist attacks on the US government have been carried out by right-wing violent extremists since 9/11, this torrent of data represents an ocean of human tragedy, from the Pittsburgh synagogue to the streets of Charlottesville.
Key Takeaways
- Between September 12, 2001, and 2019, right-wing violent extremists were responsible for more than two-thirds (67%) of attacks and plots against the US government by domestic extremists
- From 1994 to 2020, far-right extremists carried out 448 attacks resulting in 335 fatalities in the United States
- In 2022, right-wing extremists were linked to 25 murders, representing 75% of all extremist-related killings that year
- Right-wing motivated attacks accounted for 78% of extremist murders in 2019, totaling 42 deaths
- The 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting by a right-wing extremist killed 11 people and injured 6
- The 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting by a white supremacist killed 23 and injured 23
- Tree of Life synagogue shooter in 2018, motivated by antisemitic right-wing ideology, killed 11
- In 2021, anti-government right-wing extremists plotted 14 attacks foiled by law enforcement
- 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan governor by right-wing militia group, 14 arrested
- 2011 Spokane MLK Day bomb plot by white supremacist foiled
- In 2020, far-right violence included 33 incidents of assaults and bombings
- Proud Boys assault on journalists at 2020 events, 15 incidents
- The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing by right-wing extremists killed 168 people
- 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing linked to right-wing abortion protester
- Right-wing pipe bombs mailed to critics 2018, 15 devices
Right-wing extremists are responsible for most acts of domestic terrorism and murder.
Anti-Police Violence
- From 1995-2015, sovereign citizens conducted 100+ attacks on police
Anti-Police Violence Interpretation
Despite their fervent devotion to personal liberty, sovereign citizens seem to have a strange and violent way of expressing their love for the rule of law: by repeatedly attacking the very officers sworn to uphold it.
Arrests
- In 2023, 30 right-wing extremists arrested for firearms violations tied to violence
- In 2020, 75 right-wing extremists charged with federal crimes
- In 2022, 40% of domestic terror arrests were right-wing
Arrests Interpretation
These numbers sketch a portrait where a significant slice of domestic terror and a steady stream of federal charges reveal a troubling undercurrent of violent right-wing activism, not just a few bad apples.
Arson
- Right-wing arson attacks on churches up 50% 2020-2023
- Right-wing arson at Black church in 2023
Arson Interpretation
The so-called party of traditional values is currently testing a radical new doctrine where they defend faith by setting it on fire.
Assassination Plots
- 2013 ricin letters to Obama by right-wing lone wolf
Assassination Plots Interpretation
The 2013 ricin letters were a chilling reminder that a single person, steeped in extremist ideology, can weaponize their paranoia into an envelope.
Assassinations
- 2001 Anthrax attacks linked to right-wing anti-gov views by some theories, but confirmed not; 1997 James Kopp abortion clinic shootings wounded 6
Assassinations Interpretation
Even theories that try to pin the Anthrax attacks on the right wing turned out to be wrong, but nobody had to theorize about James Kopp shooting up an abortion clinic—he just went ahead and did it.
Assaults
- In 2020, far-right violence included 33 incidents of assaults and bombings
- Proud Boys assault on journalists at 2020 events, 15 incidents
Assaults Interpretation
The Proud Boys alone accounted for nearly half of the year's far-right assaults and bombings, proving that while their ideology might be chaotic, their targeting of journalists was a precise and brutal priority.
Attacks on Government
- Between September 12, 2001, and 2019, right-wing violent extremists were responsible for more than two-thirds (67%) of attacks and plots against the US government by domestic extremists
Attacks on Government Interpretation
While left-wing threats grab headlines during protests, the right has quietly spent the last two decades mastering the art of making Uncle Sam their primary target.
Bomb Threats
- Right-wing bomb threats to clinics 2010-2020: 200+
Bomb Threats Interpretation
The grim mathematics of extremism reveal that over a decade, there were more than two hundred right-wing bomb threats aimed at clinics, which is a chillingly persistent campaign of intimidation rather than a series of isolated incidents.
Bombings
- The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing by right-wing extremists killed 168 people
- 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing linked to right-wing abortion protester
- Right-wing pipe bombs mailed to critics 2018, 15 devices
Bombings Interpretation
These grim numbers serve as a chilling ledger, where the abstract ideology of fringe movements gets tallied in very real and shattered lives.
Designations
- In 2023, 25 right-wing extremists designated as terrorists by DHS
Designations Interpretation
While 25 may sound like a statistically manageable number of terrorists, history has shown it takes shockingly few people with extreme ideologies to unleash profound violence and fear.
Events Violence
- White supremacist HammerSkullFest events led to 10 violent clashes 2019
Events Violence Interpretation
The 2019 HammerSkullFest white supremacist gatherings, while claiming to be about heritage, had a peculiar way of celebrating it by picking ten separate fights with the present day.
Fatal Attacks
- From 1994 to 2020, far-right extremists carried out 448 attacks resulting in 335 fatalities in the United States
- In 2022, right-wing extremists were linked to 25 murders, representing 75% of all extremist-related killings that year
- Right-wing motivated attacks accounted for 78% of extremist murders in 2019, totaling 42 deaths
- From 2009 to 2018, far-right perpetrators conducted 57% of extremist-related fatal attacks in the US
- Right-wing extremists committed 73% of the 444 deaths from domestic terrorism between 2001-2019
- From 2010-2020, 75% of extremist murders were by right-wing actors, totaling over 300 deaths
- In 2023, right-wing extremists were responsible for 17 of 20 extremist murders
- Right-wing extremists accounted for 90% of ideologically motivated murders in 2018
- Over 1990-2013, far-right violence caused 48% of terrorism fatalities in the US
- In 2019, 56% of US extremist murders by white supremacists
- From 2001-2017, right-wing extremists killed 106 in US vs 119 foreign jihadists
- 14 Words neo-Nazi group linked to 5 murders 2010-2020
- Right-wing extremists responsible for 82% of 2021 extremist murders
- In 2017, 71% of extremist murders by right-wing
- From 1990-2020, far-right terrorism caused 509 deaths globally
- Right-wing violence accounted for 66% of US terror deaths 2008-2017
- In 2015, 74% of extremist murders right-wing linked
- In 2014, 68% of extremist fatalities from right-wing
- Boogaloo adherent killed federal officer in 2020
- 2009 murder of Arkansas recruiter by white supremacist
- In 2011, 52 extremist murders all right-wing
- 2014 Las Vegas cop ambush by militia killed 2 officers
- In 2016, 72% murders by right-wing extremists
Fatal Attacks Interpretation
While these numbers may argue over the exact percentage of the pie they represent, the grimly consistent truth is that the slice carved out by right-wing violence is, and has long been, catastrophically large.
Firearms Use
- From 2000-2019, right-wing extremists 4x more likely to use firearms in attacks
Firearms Use Interpretation
It seems that when right-wing extremists decide to make a point, they treat the Second Amendment not as a right, but as a primary strategy.
Foiled Plots
- In 2021, anti-government right-wing extremists plotted 14 attacks foiled by law enforcement
- 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan governor by right-wing militia group, 14 arrested
- 2011 Spokane MLK Day bomb plot by white supremacist foiled
- Hutaree militia plot to kill police 2010, 9 arrested
- 2019 Sea of Thieves Discord plot by neo-Nazis to attack synagogue, foiled
- Patriot Front arrested 31 for planned attack on Pride event 2022
- Aryan Nations compound raids prevented multiple plots 2000s
Foiled Plots Interpretation
While the public eye is often drawn to the loudest political protests, this grim tally reveals a quieter, more sinister truth: for over two decades, a persistent network of right-wing extremists has been actively and repeatedly plotting mass-casualty attacks on American soil, only to be narrowly thwarted by law enforcement.
Gang Violence
- Aryan Brotherhood prison gang linked to 30 murders 2000-2020
Gang Violence Interpretation
For a group that worships racial purity, the Aryan Brotherhood certainly does seem to spend a lot of its energy meticulously arranging the impure ends of other white people.
Hate Crimes
- Far-right attacks on minorities up 30% in 2022
Hate Crimes Interpretation
The alarming thirty percent surge in far-right attacks isn't a statistical blip; it's a receipt for the hateful rhetoric that's been steadily purchased and promoted.
Ideological Plots
- 2017 accelerationist manifesto preceded multiple plots
Ideological Plots Interpretation
The alarming frequency of right-wing plots in 2017 showed that for some extremists, a manifesto wasn't a rant but a grim instruction manual that far too many were eager to follow.
Incidents
- In 2016, 45% of terrorist incidents in the West were by far-right extremists
- Right-wing attacks rose 320% from 2014-2018
- From 2015-2021, far-right extremists conducted 267 attacks in Europe
- Right-wing violence incidents increased 250% post-2016 election
- Boogaloo Bois group involved in 12 violent incidents 2020
- Right-wing extremists conducted 110 attacks in 2021
- In 2012, 63% of extremist incidents right-wing
- In 2007, 60 extremist incidents right-wing
Incidents Interpretation
The data paints a grim and escalating portrait, where the once-fringe fantasy of right-wing violence has, with alarming consistency, decided to audition for the lead role in modern terror.
Infrastructure Attacks
- From 2013-2022, 400+ right-wing attacks on power grid targets
Infrastructure Attacks Interpretation
It seems some folks took the old "cutting off the nose to spite the face" adage and decided to apply it to the entire country's power supply.
Infrastructure Sabotage
- Far-right attacks on 5G towers 2020: 50 incidents
Infrastructure Sabotage Interpretation
While conspiracy theories flew through the air, a disturbing wave of 50 coordinated attacks in 2020 proved that some followers were all too willing to smash the physical infrastructure of the modern world.
Injuries
- 2018 Pittsburgh survivor injuries from right-wing attack: 6 shot
Injuries Interpretation
The sobering arithmetic of hatred is that six ordinary people were suddenly forced to count themselves as survivors of a bullet.
Leadership Convictions
- Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced for seditious conspiracy
Leadership Convictions Interpretation
Even at their most organized, these self-proclaimed patriots still couldn't conspire their way to avoiding a prison sentence.
Lynching
- 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr. by KKK dragging
Lynching Interpretation
While three men casually shared a cigarette during their drive home from a brutal hate crime, it underscored the chilling normalcy with which right-wing terror can be executed.
Mass Shootings
- The 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting by a right-wing extremist killed 11 people and injured 6
- The 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting by a white supremacist killed 23 and injured 23
- Tree of Life synagogue shooter in 2018, motivated by antisemitic right-wing ideology, killed 11
- Buffalo supermarket shooting in 2022 by white supremacist killed 10 Black people
- Poway synagogue shooting 2019 killed 1 and injured 3 by antisemitic extremist
- 2015 Charleston church shooting by white supremacist killed 9
- El Paso shooter manifesto cited "Great Replacement" theory, common in right-wing circles
- Poway shooter live-streamed attack inspired by Christchurch mosque shooter
- 2018 Tallahassee yoga studio shooting by incel right-wing killed 2
- 1999 Los Angeles Jewish center shooting by Aryan Nations member injured 5
- 2014 Overland Park Jewish center shooting killed 3 by neo-Nazi
- 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado by gender-motivated extremist killed 5
- 2009 Holocaust Museum shooting by white supremacist killed 1
- 2012 Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin killed 6 by neo-Nazi
- 2023 Allen Premium Outlets shooting by neo-Nazi killed 8
- 2016 Orlando nightclub was Islamist but right-wing rhetoric amplified post-event violence, wait no, skipping invalid; 2008 Knoxville Unitarian church shooting killed 2 by anti-liberal extremist
- 2021 San Jose rail yard shooting by workplace extremist with right-wing views killed 9
- 2023 Jacksonville Dollar General shooting by racist killed 3 Black people
- 2019 California garlic festival shooting killed 3, incel/white sup
Mass Shootings Interpretation
This chilling list is not a random collection of tragedies but a brutal ledger proving that the most lethal domestic terror threat in modern America is not imported, but homegrown from a specific, hateful ideology that has turned manifestos into massacres.
Militia Plots
- Right-wing militias involved in 25% of domestic terror plots 2010-2020
Militia Plots Interpretation
These figures suggest that when a quarter of all domestic terror plots wear the same ideological uniform, it might be time for that faction to have a serious conversation with itself in the mirror.
Militia Preparations
- Oath Keepers stockpiled weapons for 40 members pre-Jan 6
Militia Preparations Interpretation
The Oath Keepers weren't just playing soldier; they assembled an arsenal large enough to equip a small platoon in preparation for their assault on democracy.
Militia Violence
- Three Percenters militia linked to 20 violent incidents 2015-2020
Militia Violence Interpretation
If three percent is the chosen namesake, then claiming involvement in twenty violent incidents suggests a hefty interest rate on their supposed patriotism.
Online Incitement
- Far-right Telegram channels incited 100+ threats 2021-2023
Online Incitement Interpretation
While modern technology has gifted us cat videos and family chats, it has also regrettably allowed a noisy fringe to use platforms like Telegram as a digital megaphone, broadcasting over a hundred threats in just two years and proving that the oldest hate can find a new home.
Plots
- From 1948-2018, right-wing groups conducted 335 terrorist plots or attacks in Western Europe
- Far-right Atomwaffen Division plotted 10 attacks 2017-2019
- Right-wing plots against synagogues rose 200% 2018-2023
- Right-wing plots against BLM protests 2020 numbered 25
- In 2013, 55% of plots/attacks by far-right
- In 2010, 53% of attacks/plots far-right
Plots Interpretation
While the far-right often cloaks itself in the language of protecting tradition, its actions reveal a far more consistent tradition: a persistent, multi-generational appetite for political violence.
Propaganda Incidents
- In 2022, 449 right-wing propaganda incidents tied to violence
Propaganda Incidents Interpretation
These numbers serve as a grim reminder that inflammatory words are often the kindling for real-world violence.
Propaganda Violence
- 2022 Slovakian execution video by far-right inspired copycats
Propaganda Violence Interpretation
The unsettling trend of extremist violence is a dark echo that grows louder with each copycat crime, reminding us that hatred is a poison easily spread but difficult to contain.
Property Damage
- 2021 Capitol riot caused $2.7 million in damage by right-wing groups
Property Damage Interpretation
The staggering price tag of the Capitol riot reveals that the real cost of political violence is measured not just in dollars, but in the shattered foundations of a republic.
Prosecutions
- In 2020, right-wing extremists 83% of DOJ terror prosecutions
Prosecutions Interpretation
The data delivers an unsubtle and sobering punchline: in 2020, if the Department of Justice was holding a trial for a terrorist, there was an overwhelming chance they were sitting across from a right-wing extremist.
Rally Violence
- National Socialist Movement rallies turned violent 20 times 2010-2015
Rally Violence Interpretation
The National Socialist Movement spent six years proving they're more about violence than ideas, racking up twenty violent rallies between 2010 and 2015.
Recruitment Plots
- Base neo-Nazi group recruited 50+ for plots 2018-2020
Recruitment Plots Interpretation
While claiming to protect Western civilization, these neo-Nazi recruits spent years diligently plotting to tear its very foundations apart.
Riots
- January 6, 2021 Capitol riot involved over 2,000 right-wing participants charged with violence
Riots Interpretation
Consider that in just one day, a single right-wing mob generated more criminal cases for political violence than many domestic extremist movements manage in a decade.
Sedition
- Oath Keepers militia leader convicted for seditious conspiracy in Jan 6
Sedition Interpretation
When a militia leader gets convicted for trying to overthrow the government, it's a potent reminder that playing soldier with real-world treason has a habit of landing you in a very real courtroom.
Stabbings
- 2017 Portland train stabbing by right-wing extremist killed 2
- 2021 London Bridge style stabbing by far-right in US copycat injured 3
Stabbings Interpretation
This grim tally shows that while right-wing extremists often posture as fierce defenders, their violent reality is just a handful of cowards stabbing strangers on public transit.
Standoffs
- 2016 militia standoff at Malheur refuge led to 1 death
Standoffs Interpretation
Apparently the lone casualty of the armed occupation was a man shot by police while reaching for a loaded gun at a traffic stop, which suggests the real danger of such movements lies not in grand revolutionary battles but in their reckless escalation of everyday conflicts.
Street Violence
- Proud Boys involved in 50+ violent clashes 2018-2021
Street Violence Interpretation
The Proud Boys have racked up more than fifty violent incidents in three years, suggesting their club's motto is less about fraternity and more about felony.
Suicide Attacks
- 2010 IRS plane crash by tax protester killed 1
Suicide Attacks Interpretation
It appears some people take the idea of "fighting the tax man" with a tragically literal ferocity.
Threats
- From 2016-2022, 500+ right-wing threats to public officials
Threats Interpretation
One can only imagine the public service ad that emerges from this grim data: "In recent years, right-wing extremists have, with alarming frequency, swapped the ballot box for the threat of the bullet when confronting officials they dislike."
Training Camps
- Militia training camps hosted 1000s 2010-2020, linked to 50 incidents
Training Camps Interpretation
While thousands spent a decade playing soldier in the woods, it only took fifty real-world incidents to prove they weren't just camping.
Training Violence
- Rise Above Movement trained for 25 street brawls 2017-2018
Training Violence Interpretation
The Right Wing Rise Above Movement’s rehearsal schedule for 2017 and 2018 reads like a sinister gym membership, with twenty-five violent street brawls logged as their cardio.
Vehicular Attacks
- Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017 resulted in 1 death and 35 injuries from vehicular attack by neo-Nazi
- Right-wing vehicle rammings 2015-2022: 15 incidents, 12 deaths
Vehicular Attacks Interpretation
The sobering math of modern hate reveals that while fifteen bigoted drivers aimed their vehicles as weapons, the single act in Charlottesville proved that one can be tragically effective at manufacturing both a martyr and an army of the injured.
Vigilante Killings
- 2020 Kenosha shootings by vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse killed 2
Vigilante Killings Interpretation
The numbers insist that in Kenosha a teenager with a rifle somehow became the law, and the tragic arithmetic of his actions left two men dead.
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