A Justice Department study detailing how far-right extremists have carried out more deadly attacks in the U.S. than any other domestic group has been removed from its website—just days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in Utah.
What Happened
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report, titled What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism, disappeared from the DOJ website between September 12 and 13, according to Daniel Malmar, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who had been tracking the page. Its removal came shortly after 31-year-old Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a key Trump ally, was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with Kirk’s murder. Prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty. In the aftermath, Donald Trump and other Republican leaders publicly blamed “radical left” actors for the attack.
What the Study Found
The now-archived NIJ report summarized decades of federal research on domestic terrorism. It stated:
-
Far-right extremists have committed 227 ideologically motivated attacks since 1990, taking more than 520 lives.
-
Far-left extremists were linked to 42 attacks, resulting in 78 deaths over the same period.
-
The data showed that “militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism” has grown in the U.S., with far-right incidents “continuing to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism.”
The DOJ website briefly explained the page’s disappearance by citing “recent executive orders” and an internal review of published materials, according to 404 Media. The study is no longer accessible.
Broader Context
Independent research backs up the study’s findings. A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report analyzing 893 terrorist plots between 1994 and 2020 concluded that “right-wing attacks and plots account for the majority of all terrorist incidents in the United States since 1994.”
Similarly, in 2023 testimony before Congress, Heidi Beirich, executive vice president of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told lawmakers that far-right violence represents the most lethal threat in U.S. domestic terrorism.
“That is not to say there is no violence from far-left actors,” Beirich said, “it is just simply not on the scale or as deadly as what is coming from far-right actors.”
Reactions and What Happens Next
The removal of the report has drawn concern from researchers and extremism experts who view the data as essential to understanding political violence trends in America. Critics say erasing the study in the wake of a high-profile killing risks fueling confusion and politicization around the issue.
The Justice Department has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
This story may be updated with more information as it becomes available.
