Eps 6: A Summary of the Deadliest Extremist Groups Within the United States
— The List
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Host
Max Cooper
Podcast Content
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The deadliest extremist groups within the United States are those responsible for the 9/11 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 19 hijackers and thousands of American citizens. The al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden held naive beliefs that precipitated these attacks. The hijackings and suicide attacks on American soil were thought to be orchestrated by Sheikh Mohammed, a radical Muslim cleric. These attacks were part of a series of terrorist attacks throughout U.S. history, targeting civilians and military personnel on American soil. These include airline hijackings by 19 militants in 2001, bombings in Oklahoma City in 1995, and other random acts of violence over the past century.
The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history is believed to be the 9/11 attacks, carried out by al-Qaeda operatives in 2001. The deadliest attack was a suicide attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, killing almost 3,000 people. International terrorists have also represented attacks within the United States. In 1993, Al-Qaeda militants killed 18 people with a truck bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia, representing the first known case of international terrorism carried out on American soil.
The attack marked the beginning of a long and devastating series of attacks by the group within the United States, including the 2019 truck bombing in Kabul International Airport that killed 170 people and injured 200 more. In fact, this incident was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever recorded in world history. Al-Qaeda has been identified as the deadliest terror group within the United States, with an average of 15 deaths per attack. In 2001, they launched their most devastating attack to date when they detonated two bombs in New York City, killing 2,066 people and injuring 8,000 more. This single attack remains one of the worst terrorist acts ever committed in human history. The Taliban is another extremist group that has targeted Americans over the years, but it is not as deadly as Al-Qaeda.
The most significant terrorist threat in the United States today is the global jihadist threat, which continues to be an international concern. A global counterterrorism campaign has been underway for years to combat this ever-evolving threat, and Al-Qaeda remains at the center of this effort. The western counterterrorism strategy has sought to undermine and disrupt terrorist networks, but Al-Qaeda’s decentralized structure and fragmented nature underscore the serious and persistent threat that it poses. Yearslong relentless efforts by U.S. forces have helped to revoke much of the territory that was once held by Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria, but its affiliates remain active in other parts of the world.
Similarly, there are other international terrorist organizations that pose a significant terrorism threat to the United States. Ideologically based terrorist attacks perpetrated by right-wing extremists have made law enforcement groups focus on the domestic threat of such organizations. Despite this, Islamic extremist acts remain the deadliest in terms of annual terrorist events and fatalities over the past several years. American Muslims, however, have only perpetrate a minute percentage of these acts over the past decade. This has led to a focused national conversation on what actions should be taken against such threats and how to ensure safety for Americans without infringing upon civil rights.
A recent report from June 2020 found that far-right terrorism is the deadliest extremist threat within the United States. The report examined a 25-year period, from 1994 to 2019, in which there were a total of 77 deaths resulting from domestic terrorist incidents. Of these attacks and plots, the majority were perpetrated by far right attackers and about 337 attacks per year were recorded over this time period. This is 5 times more than all other forms of extremism combined and shows an alarming trend of violence being perpetrated by right wing extremists.
The deadliest extremist groups within the United States are those that identify as right wing. With terrorist organization tactics and far right terrorism ascendant, domestic terrorist networks have become increasingly active in plotting attacks against their perceived enemies. These motivated violent extremists come from various backgrounds and ideologies, including neo-nazi terror movements, anti-government extremists, militias, and white supremacists. This insurgency within groups has led to more frequent and deadly attacks throughout the US, with numerous plots by domestic terrorists going unreported or unacknowledged by mainstream media sources. The recent surge in neo nazi terror movements has also seen an increase in attacks from foreign terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda or ISIS. As these networks become increasingly active in the US and abroad, we can expect more plots from both domestic and foreign terrorists. In addition to this increased activity, right wing extremists have adopted some of the tactics used by left-wing activists such as civil disobedience and demonstrations to further their cause. These tactics have been seen recently during the protests against police brutality across the country.
Extremist groups have political grievances and use terror tactics to achieve their goals. These organised terrorist groups are driving terrorism in the United States and abroad. White supremacist extremists, Islamist terrorism, and other countries have been involved in domestic terror attacks. To prevent such attacks, governments must address the lethal threats of these extremist institutions and group grievances that are weak or non-existent. Security organisations must be strengthened to prevent these lethal attacks as there are several factors involved in the violence perpetrated by these extremist groups. Although there is no single solution to stop a terrorist group from attacking innocent people, certain measures can be taken to reduce the risk of such acts occurring again.
The most lethal terrorist group in the United States is the Islamic State , which has been responsible for an attack that averaged 15 deaths since its finalized terrorist designation in 2015. Other extremist groups, such as Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam Wal Muslimeen and Wal Muslimeen , have also produced higher casualty figures than before, with a 69% increase in deaths from combined previous terrorist incidents. The deadliest incident was the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed almost 3,000 people.
The attacks were perpetrated by al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden. Since then, other extremist groups have emerged within the United States and have been responsible for numerous terrorist activities. The most prominent of these groups is the Mulathamun Battalion, which has threatened national security and defense.