Study: Left-wing terrorism hits 30-year high

[phkrause]

Adapted from CSIS. Chart: Axios Visuals Halfway through 2025, attacks by far-left extremists outpaced far-right violence for the first time in more than three decades, according to new research from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Axios' Zachary Basu writes. "2025 marks the first time in more than 30 years that left-wing terrorist attacks outnumber those from the violent far right," the report says. Why it matters: America's domestic terrorism landscape has undergone a remarkable inversion since President Trump took office, as his policies have eased grievances on the far right while intensifying anger on the far left. By the numbers: CSIS researchers compiled and analyzed a data set of 750 domestic attacks and plots from Jan. 1, 1994, to July 4, 2025, categorizing them into "right," "left," "jihadist," "ethnonationalist" and "other." The data show left-wing extremists have carried out 41 attacks since 2016, compared with 152 from the far right over the same period. Left-wing violence has killed 13 people over the past decade — far fewer than the 112 deaths from right-wing attacks and 82 from jihadists. But at least five left-wing plots or attacks have already been recorded this year, compared to just one right-wing attack — the shooting of two Minnesota Democrats and their spouses. ? Daniel Byman, a Georgetown professor who's the lead author of the CSIS study, told Axios in a phone interview that many "extremists on the far right ... are more comfortable with the Trump policies, and that may be ... why we've seen a reduction in violence." Byman warned against the data being used "as an excuse for a crackdown on legitimate organizations." Explore the data ...