What can federal court cases tell us about terrorism in the U.S.

Non-Terrorism Charges for Terrorism Investigations in the U.S.

So What?

Most federal arrests for terrorism investigations have resulted in charges for non-terrorism-related crimes, such as illegal guns and narcotics. Because of this, the Department of Justice has acknowledged it does not have a comprehensive understanding of the scope of terrorism prosecutions.

Project Summary

This project is focused on tracking terrorism investigations that result in non-terrorism related charges. It seeks to better understand the ways the U.S. justice system uses non-terrorism related charges to prosecute ideologically motivated violence, highlighting how prosecutorial decisions affect policy and resource allocation for intelligence and law enforcement.

Purpose/Objectives

This project seeks to provide more information for policymakers and practitioners on the scope of ideologically motivated terrorism in the U.S. It will produce materials to be circulated among national security professionals and published in academic journals.

Method

This project will rely on open-source U.S. court documents through the Public Access to Electronic Court Records (PACER) system, the Department of Justice’s dataset on terrorism court cases, and the FBI and DHS’s annual threat and intelligence assessments.

Outputs and Impact

• Infographics
• Events
• Research papers

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Reports and Publications

NCITE

	Snapshot of U.S. Federal Cases Against Violent Incels There have been a growing number of federal arrests relating to violent incels. This report outlines the federal efforts that are being taken to address this rising concern.
	Dismantling Domestic Terrorism Through Prosecutions: A Case Study of Atomwaffen Division The prosecution of Atomwaffen provides a unique opportunity to review the types of mostly non-terrorism-related federal charges brought against a distinct domestic terrorist organization and the legal consequences of being a violent adherent to the ideology.
	Snapshot of U.S. Federal Cases Against Violent QAnon Adherents This document outlines federal criminal cases involving adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory.

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Research Team

Seamus Hughes University of Nebraska at Omaha Senior Research Faculty and Policy Associate at NCITE Expertise: Research journalism, terrorism, public policy, federal courts