New data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reveals that all extremist-related murders in the United States in 2024 were committed by right-wing extremists, totaling 13 fatalities across 11 separate incidents. This marks the third consecutive year that right-wing actors have been linked to all such killings, with no extremist-related murders attributed to left-wing groups during this period. The ADL's Center on Extremism noted that eight of the 13 killings involved white supremacists, while the remaining five were connected to far-right anti-government extremists.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) corroborates the trend, indicating a rise in domestic terrorism plots primarily driven by right-wing motivations, including anti-government and election-related grievances. CSIS data from January 2016 to April 2024 shows a significant increase in domestic terrorist attacks and plots against government targets motivated by partisan political beliefs, nearly tripling the number from the preceding two decades. Right-wing terrorists perpetrated the majority of all attacks and plots between 1994 and 2020, accounting for 57 percent, compared to 25 percent by left-wing terrorists.
Further analysis from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) supports these findings, showing that far-right incidents in the U.S. outnumber far-left incidents by a ratio of approximately 3:1. While left-wing violence often occurs in the context of protests, it is generally less lethal. The data underscores a consistent pattern in the nature of extremist violence across various analytical bodies.
Official assessments from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) consistently identify right-wing extremism as the top domestic terrorism threat. FBI Director Christopher Wray has repeatedly stated that racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, particularly white supremacists, represent the most persistent and lethal threat within the domestic terrorism landscape. This consensus among leading organizations highlights a critical focus area for national security efforts.