White extremists have killed more people in domestic US attacks than radical Islamists since the World Trade Centre attacks on 11 September 2001, according to new research.
White, non-Muslim, extremists have killed 48 people in 19 isolated instances of domestic terrorism in the 14 years since 9/11, according to a report released by New America, a Washington DC research centre.By contrast, self-proclaimed Muslim jihadists killed 26 people in seven attacks in the same period. The cases noted in the report were limited to US citizens and residents indicted or convicted for terrorism crimes associated with Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups, as well as those who were killed before they could be indicted but were widely reported to have been inspired by the terrorist group.It also included individuals inspired by extreme non-Jihadist political ideologies, who have been indicted for terrorism-related crimes, based on court documents, wire service reports and news reports as sources.Notably, the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in Connecticut and Batman cinema shooting in Colorado were not included. The murder of nine African-Americans in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, last week by a self-proclaimed white supremacist was included.In another case, Jerad and Amanda Miller, a married couple with radical anti-government views, fatally shot two police officers in a Las Vegas pizza restaurant and a third person in a nearby Wal-Mart in June 2014. Their vehement anti-government sentiment warranted this incident's inclusion in the study.The statistics come amid a debate on how the US media portrays violent attacks, with critics claiming that news outlets are too quick to refer to mental illness rather than terrorism when the perpetrator is white.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures Firing shells, burning ballots, and more
-
The Great Mughals: a 'treasure trove' of an exhibitionThe Week Recommends The V&A's new show is 'spell-binding'
-
Damian Barr shares his favourite booksThe Week Recommends The writer and broadcaster picks works by Alice Walker, Elif Shafak and others
-
Alex Jones ordered to pay almost $1bn to Sandy Hook familiesSpeed Read ‘Massive damages award may ‘doom’ conspiracy theorist’s Infowars media empire
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shootingSpeed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on policeSpeed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegationsSpeed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the RepublicansSpeed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
