Plea in teen sex murder plot suggests how Trump's DOJ plans to fight extremism groups
Featuring Research Fellow Jon Lewis
Over the last several years, the threat posed by white supremacists, accelerationists, the militia movement, and other extremists has surged. Today, the landscape of domestic extremism in America has metastasized. From attacks on synagogues and black churches to the siege against America's democracy on January 6th, these threats continue to expand and evolve. Our researchers have examined domestic extremist groups and movements from a number of angles. Check out featured news and publications, major projects, and a full archive of related content below.
Extremism in Texas, History and Current Trends
December 1, 2024
PoE Extremism Monitor - October 2024 Issue
October 31, 2024
Oath Keepers Tracker
June 30, 2023
Proud Boys Tracker
June 30, 2023
The Third Generation of Online Radicalization
June 16, 2023
Intersectional Antisemitism in America
February 9, 2023
The domestic extremism tracker provides an overview of criminal cases related to a range of domestic extremist groups and ideologies in the United States. This includes numerous domestic violent extremist (DVE) subsets, including Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE) and Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremism (AGAAVE).
The explainers provide a comprehensive primer on various domestic extremist groups and movements. Each explainer covers the group's history, core ideology, and highlights key figures.
In keeping with our tradition of providing primary source documents to the research community and the public at large, The Program on Extremism launched a project to create a central database of court records related to the events of January 6, 2021. The project database is updated daily as additional individuals are charged with criminal activities and new records are introduced into the criminal justice system. You can view today's numbers, check out our interactive visualizations, browse the cases, read our related reports, and download our database by visiting the Capitol Hill Siege page.
Antisemitism is pervasive throughout several categories of American extremist movements, both violent and non-violent. American extremists incorporate antisemitic tropes and narratives in every level of their worldviews, using them to help construct “us/them” dichotomies and wide-sweeping conspiracies that are essential to their movements. We assess that antisemitism is foundational to multiple violent extremist movements in the United States, and counter-extremism practitioners and scholars may consider incorporating antisemitism as a diagnostic factor for extremist radicalization.
Anarchist/left wing violent extremism, often referred to in United States government parlance with the catch-all term “anarchist violent extremism” (AVE), has a long-standing history in the U.S. Over the last several years, violence committed by AVEs was largely locally organized, eventdriven, and/or opportunistic. However, we found that ongoing changes in the political, social, and economic climate in the U.S., as well as changes in the makeup, strength, and doctrines of other American domestic extremist groups, have the potential to escalate the frequency and lethality of violence committed by AVEs in the immediate future.
"January 6th Report Summarizes Extremist Threat – But Leaves Key Gaps." Authored by Jon Lewis | Just Security | January 3, 2023.
"What's Different About DOJ's Prosecution of the Oath Keepers." Authored by Jon Lewis | Newsweek | December 19, 2022.
"The Evolution of Critical Infrastructure Targeting by Violent Extremists," Authored by Ilana Krill | Lawfare | October 20, 2022.
"The dangerous evolution of the Oath Keepers — and leader Stewart Rhodes," Authored by Jon Lewis | NBC News | July 14, 2022.
"Assessing US Domestic Extremism in Light of Capitol Riot Investigations," Authored by Seamus Hughes and Ilana Krill | ICCT | June 30, 2022.
"True Threat of the Proud Boys Revealed as Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Go Public." Authored by Matthew Kriner and Jon Lewis | Newsweek | June 9, 2022.
"Understanding Accelerationist Narratives: The Great Replacement Theory." Authored by Matthew Kriner, Meghan Conroy, Alex Newhouse and Jon Lewis | Global Network on Extremism and Technology | May 30, 2022.
"Buffalo suspect exposes dangers of accelerationist, neo-fascist lone-actor violence," Authored by Jon Lewis | NBC News | May 22, 2022.
Be Careful Attributing Anything to AWD
Authored by Jon Lewis and Alex Newhouse | Accelerationism Research Consortium | February 21, 2022
What Does the Seditious Conspiracy Indictment Mean For the Oath Keepers?
Authored by Jon Lewis and Seamus Hughes | Lawfare | January 21, 2022
Oath Keepers leader indictment just the tip of a scary iceberg
Authored by Sam Jackson, Matthew Kriner, and Jon Lewis | NBC News | January 17, 2022
The Oath Keepers and Their Role in the January 6 Insurrection
Authored by Matthew Kriner and Jon Lewis | CTC Sentinel | December 22, 2021
Understanding Accelerationist Narratives: The Boogaloo
Authored by Matt Kriner, Alex Newhouse, and Jon Lewis | GNET | November 18, 2021
For some Capitol Hill rioters, Jan. 6 was just the beginning
Authored by Madi Birkenfeld, Ilana Krill and Andrew Mines | Dallas Morning News | July 26, 2021
Pride & Prejudice: The Violent Evolution of the Proud Boys
Authored by Matthew Kriner and Jon Lewis | CTC Sentinel | July 2021
A Sea Change in Counterterrorism
Authored by Carly Gordenstein and Seamus Hughes | Lawfare | June 13, 2021
American counterterrorism cannot be an either/or proposition
Authored by Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes | The Hill | May 25, 2021
An Assessment of the U.S. Government’s Domestic Terrorism Assessment
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Rohini Kurup | Lawfare | May 24, 2021
“I will never forget this for as long as I live”: Social Learning at the Capitol Hill Siege
Authored by Danielle Carrier, Ilana Krill and Andrew Mines | GNET | May 6, 2021
Male Supremacism, Borderline Content, and Gaps in Existing Moderation Efforts
Authored by Ye Bin Won and Jon Lewis | GNET | April 6, 2021
The military doesn’t even know how bad its extremism problem is
Authored by Daniel Milton, Andrew Mines, and Angelina Maleska | The Washington Post | March 29, 2021
Selfie and Siege: Women’s Social Media Footprint and the US Capitol Hill Siege
Authored by Devorah Margolin and Chelsea Daymon | GNET | March 3, 2021
The U.S. government can do more to fight domestic terror without any new laws
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Bennett Clifford | The Washington Post | March 2, 2021
The Evolution of the Boogaloo Movement
Authored by Matthew Kriner and Jon Lewis | CTC Sentinel | February 17, 2021
"Take Nothing But Pictures, Leave Nothing But (Digital) Footprints”: Social Media Evidence From the US Capitol Siege Perpetrators
Authored by Jon Lewis and Bennett Clifford | GNET | January 25, 2021
The Capitol mob’s gleeful selfies are easy to mock. They’re also a warning sign.
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Jon Lewis | The Washington Post | January 19, 2021
3D-Printed Guns, Untraceable Firearms, and Domestic Violent Extremist Actors
Authored by Jon Lewis | GNET | January 7, 2021
Extremist Experimentation with Text-Based Instant Messaging Applications
Authored by Bennett Clifford | GNET | November 9, 2020
Why the FBI had to pretend Hamas wanted to plot with ‘boogaloo boys’
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Jon Lewis | The Washington Post | September 9, 2020
FBI’s Terror Hunters Turn to a Different Threat: Incels
Authored by Adam Rawnsley and Seamus Hughes | The Daily Beast | September 9, 2020
Balancing Online Content Moderation and the Rule of Law
Authored by Devorah Margolin, Jon Lewis, and Andrew Mines | GNET | September 4, 2020
Spring Provides Timely Reminder of Incel Violence—And Clarifies How to Respond
Authored by Jon Lewis and Jacob Ware | ICCT | August 28, 2020
Facebook’s Disruption of the Boogaloo Network
Authored by Jon Lewis | GNET | August 3, 2020
Rethinking Domestic Terrorism Law After Boogaloo Movement Attacks
Authored by Jon Lewis | Lawfare | July 27, 2020
5G and the Far Right: How Extremists Capitalise on Coronavirus Conspiracies
Authored by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens and Blyth Crawford | GNET | April 21, 2020
The State Department Should Designate the Russian Imperial Movement as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
Authored by Jon Lewis and Mary McCord | Lawfare | April 14, 2020
Our laws have a problem calling domestic terrorism what it is
Authored by Jon Lewis and Seamus Hughes | The Hill | February 6, 2020
The Fractured Terrorism Threat to America
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Devorah Margolin | Lawfare | November 10, 2019
How to act against domestic terrorists — and their foreign supporters
Authored by Haroro Ingram and Jon Lewis | The Hill | September 15, 2019
A Review of Transatlantic Best Practices for Countering Radicalisation in Prisons and Terrorist Recidivism
Authored by Lorenzo Vidino and Bennett Clifford | Europol | July 13, 2019
De-Platforming and the Online Extremist’s Dilemma
Authored by Bennett Clifford and Helen Christy Powell | Lawfare | June 6, 2019
Trump’s Domestic Countering Violent Extremism Policies Look a Lot Like Obama’s
Authored by Seamus Hughes and Haroro J. Ingram | Lawfare | March 10, 2019
Confronting America’s Violent Extremists: A Terrorism Prevention Strategy for the Homeland
Authored by Haroro J. Ingram | Foreign Policy Research Institute | November 26, 2018
Rethinking “Prison Radicalisation” – Lessons from the U.S. Federal Correctional System
Authored by Bennett Clifford | ICCT | November 16, 2018
Treatment of Terrorists: How Does Gender Affect Justice?
Authored by Audrey Alexander | CTC Sentinel | September 10, 2018
America's Terrorism Problem Doesn’t End with Prison—It Might Just Begin There
Authored by Lorenzo Vidino and Seamus Hughes | Lawfare | June 17, 2018
Whose Responsibility is it to Confront Terrorism Online?
Authored by Seamus Hughes | Lawfare | April 27, 2018
Marginalizing Violent Extremism Online
Authored by Audrey Alexander and William Braniff | The Atlantic | January 21, 2018
Material Support or Bust
Authored by Seamus Hughes | The Brookings Institute | August 31, 2015
Explaining the Lack of an American Domestic Counter-radicalization Strategy
Authored by Lorenzo Vidino | Understanding Deradicalization: Pathways to Enhance Transatlantic Common Perceptions and Practices, Middle East Institute | June 10, 2015
Replacement: The Deadliest Conspiracy
Friday, 2/28/2025, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Featuring Jared Holt and Dr. José Pedro Zúquete, moderated by Research Fellow Luke Baumgartner.
How Terrorists Think with Dr. John Horgan
Thursday, 3/13/2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Featuring Dr. John Horgan, moderated by Research Fellow Luke Baumgartner.
Plea in teen sex murder plot suggests how Trump's DOJ plans to fight extremism groups
Featuring Research Fellow Jon Lewis
Trump pardoned him for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot. Now, he’s at Georgia’s Gold Dome
Featuring Research Fellow Jon Lewis
FBI agents sue DOJ to block release of who worked on Trump, Jan. 6 cases
Featuring Research Fellow Jon Lewis
Veterans in Oath Keepers, Proud Boys Convicted for Jan. 6 Crimes Have Sentences Commuted by Trump
Featuring Luke Baumgartner
Trump’s Promise to Pardon J6ers Comes With Serious Complications — And Danger
Featuring Luke Baumgartner
The Role of the Oath Keepers in the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol
Written Testimony of Jon Lewis
Research Fellow, Program on Extremism
Before the Alaska House Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee
February 10, 2022
The State of Homegrown Terrorism
Written Testimony of Seamus Hughes
Deputy Director, Program on Extremism
Before the California State Assembly Select Committee on the State of Hate
November 16, 2021
Assessing the Threat from Accelerationists and Militia Extremists
Written Testimony of JJ MacNab
Fellow, Program on Extremism
Before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee
July 16, 2020
The Rise of Radicalization: Is the U.S. Government Failing to Counter International and Domestic Terrorism?
Written Testimony of Seamus Hughes
Deputy Director, Program on Extremism
Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security
July 15, 2015