The rise of domestic extremism in America:
Data shows a surge in homegrown incidents not seen in a quarter-century https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/domestic-terrorism-data/?tid=ss_tw

Domestic terrorism incidents have soared to new highs in the United States, driven chiefly by white-supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists on the far right.

This assessment is according to a Washington Post analysis of data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies - @CSIS

The surge reflects a growing threat from homegrown terrorism not seen in a quarter-century, with right-wing extremist attacks and plots greatly eclipsing those from the far left and causing more deaths, the analysis shows.

Since 2015, right-wing extremists have been involved in 267 plots or attacks and 91 fatalities, the data shows.

At the same time, attacks and plots ascribed to far-left views accounted for 66 incidents leading to 19 deaths.

“What is most concerning is that the number of domestic terror plots and attacks are at the highest they have been in decades,” said Seth Jones, director of the database project at CSIS.

More than a quarter of right-wing incidents and just under half of the deaths in those incidents were caused by people who showed support for white supremacy or claimed to belong to groups espousing that ideology.

Victims of all incidents in recent years represent a broad cross-section of American society, including Blacks, Jews, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, Asians and other people of color who have been attacked by right-wing extremists wielding vehicles, guns, knives and fists.

Dozens of religious institutions — including mosques, synagogues and Black churches — as well as abortion clinics and government buildings, have been threatened, burned, bombed and hit with gunfire over the past six years.

The 73 far-right incidents in 2020 were an all-time annual high in the CSIS database, which goes back to 1994.

Left-wing attacks reached 25 in 2020.

Left-wing incidents include multiple attempts by extremists to derail trains to hinder oil pipeline construction and at least seven incidents in which police and their facilities were targeted with guns, firebombs and graffiti.

The CSIS database analysts define domestic terrorism incidents as attacks or plots involving a deliberate use or threat of violence to achieve political goals, create a broad psychological impact or change government policy.

That definition excludes many violent events, including incidents during nationwide unrest last year, because CSIS analysts could not determine whether attackers had a political or ideological motive.

Data released by the CSIS on Monday includes the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol as one of 11 far-right terrorism incidents that month — the most for any January in the database.

You can download the new CSIS report on domestic terrorism here: https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/210412_Jones_Military_Police_Rise_of_Terrorism_United_States_1.pdf?