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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are far-right extremists the top source of domestic terrorism in the US?

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

By Jacob Alabab-Moser

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YES

According to New America, far-right extremists, motivated by anti-government, white supremacist and anti-abortion ideologies, killed more people (112) than any other group over the past 20 years. Jihadists came in second, killing 107 people. Far-left groups killed one person over the same period.

The Anti-Defamation League found that over the last decade, far-right extremists accounted for 75% of extremist murders, or 333 of the 443 people killed. Right-wing extremists were linked to 26 of the 29 confirmed extremist murders in 2021.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that "far-right extremists were responsible for 66% of domestic terrorist attacks and plots in 2020—roughly consistent with their share in other recent years."

Last summer, Attorney General Merrick Garland stated white supremacists were the greatest domestic terrorism threat facing the U.S.

The FBI defines domestic terrorism in part as "violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

New America What is the threat to the United States today?

Anti-Defamation League New ADL data: Far-right extremists responsible for overwhelming majority of domestic extremist-related murders In 2021

Center for Strategic and International Studies The military, police and the rise of terrorism in the United States

New York Times Top law enforcement officials say the biggest domestic terror threat comes from white supremacists.

FBI Terrorism

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.