The domestic extremist spectrum has changed considerably throughout the years since 1966. One of the most significant extremist figures since that time was Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh was a lone wolf with radical right wing beliefs, he was completely anti-government, but did not act as part of a militia group. Timothy McVeigh was a leaderless terrorist that to a lesser extent, sympathized with the right wing ideology of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, The National Alliance, The Christian Identity Movement, and Militia groups (Baysinger, 2006). McVeigh was responsible for the deadliest act of domestic terrorism occurred during the last 50 years.
A more recent example in the realm of domestic extremism comes with the name of Omar Mateen. This …show more content…
Surely, there were other right-wing and Islamic extremist more deadly than Essex, but his inclusion shows that extremism comes from various places. The deadliest domestic attacks since 1966 claimed the lives of 307 people (ADL, 2015, p. 6). These three individuals alone were responsible for 74 percent of such deaths. The most significant event being the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, followed by the Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 people, and with a lower death toll, the New Orleans shootings in 1973 that left nine people dead.
A common trend is developing, or at least becoming more obvious, within the realm of domestic extremism. Lone wolves are turning out to be more dangerous than established extremist organizations. However, the influence that extremist organizations provide to these lone wolves is extremely critical for their maximum development. A group significantly responsible for a substantial amount of right wing motivated hatred is the Ku Klux Klan. The most deadly right wing extremists of the past fifty years were influenced, in some cases more than others, by the Klan’s …show more content…
Left-wing extremist organizations like the Black Panther Party became the greatest domestic threat to the nation from the 1960s to the 1980s and were replaced by right wing radicals during the 90s (Watson, 2002). Similar to the Klan’s ideology, these black separatists also proclaimed racial division and hate towards whites. As the Klan influenced McVeigh, Mark Essex was thought to have been heavily influenced by the Black Panther Party during the months leading to the shootings that made him so infamous (Hustmyre, 2011, p. 3). A fundamental connection can be drawn between these significant groups and the most deadly domestic extremist attacks in U.S. since
A more recent example in the realm of domestic extremism comes with the name of Omar Mateen. This …show more content…
Surely, there were other right-wing and Islamic extremist more deadly than Essex, but his inclusion shows that extremism comes from various places. The deadliest domestic attacks since 1966 claimed the lives of 307 people (ADL, 2015, p. 6). These three individuals alone were responsible for 74 percent of such deaths. The most significant event being the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, followed by the Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 people, and with a lower death toll, the New Orleans shootings in 1973 that left nine people dead.
A common trend is developing, or at least becoming more obvious, within the realm of domestic extremism. Lone wolves are turning out to be more dangerous than established extremist organizations. However, the influence that extremist organizations provide to these lone wolves is extremely critical for their maximum development. A group significantly responsible for a substantial amount of right wing motivated hatred is the Ku Klux Klan. The most deadly right wing extremists of the past fifty years were influenced, in some cases more than others, by the Klan’s …show more content…
Left-wing extremist organizations like the Black Panther Party became the greatest domestic threat to the nation from the 1960s to the 1980s and were replaced by right wing radicals during the 90s (Watson, 2002). Similar to the Klan’s ideology, these black separatists also proclaimed racial division and hate towards whites. As the Klan influenced McVeigh, Mark Essex was thought to have been heavily influenced by the Black Panther Party during the months leading to the shootings that made him so infamous (Hustmyre, 2011, p. 3). A fundamental connection can be drawn between these significant groups and the most deadly domestic extremist attacks in U.S. since