Fact Sheet: Far-Right Fatal Ideological Violence against Religious Institutions and Individuals in the United States: 1990 – 2018

Following the Oct. 27, 2018 shooting at a Jewish Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, START researchers compiled background information from the United States Extremist Crime Database (ECDB) on ideologically motivated, fatal far-right violence in the United States, generally, and far-right extremist homicides and plots related to religion and religious institutions, specifically. According to the ECDB, between 1990 and 2018 there were over 217 ideologically motivated homicide incidents committed by far-right extremists in the United States. Most of these (n= 166) far-right fatal attacks were committed by white supremacists against social minorities, as they targeted persons due to their racial or religious background, sexual orientation or identity. A small percentage were targeted for being ideological enemies of the far right or viewed as worthless to society (e.g., homeless). More than half of the victims in this group were targeted because they were racial/ethnic minorities. Read more.