Fact-check analysisVerified as of September 17, 2025Curated by FactVerify
True

The Justice Department quietly removed from its website a study showing far-right extremists were responsible for the bulk of ideologically motivated deaths

Multiple independent news sources confirm that the U.S. Justice Department recently removed from its website a study showing far-right extremists were responsible for the majority of ideologically motivated deaths in the U.S.

Research on extremism removed from US Justice Dept website - NZ Herald

Research on extremism removed from US Justice Dept website - NZ Herald

Source: nzherald.co.nz

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified September 17, 2025
  • The Guardian and Mediaite both report the DOJ removed a study showing far-right extremists committed 'far more' deadly domestic terrorism acts than other groups.

  • Data cited in multiple sources indicate far-right extremists caused over 520 deaths since 1990, vastly outnumbering deaths caused by far-left extremists.

  • No official DOJ explanation for the removal has been publicly provided, but coverage notes the timing and political context.

The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

Several reputable news outlets reported in September 2025 that the U.S. Department of Justice quietly deleted a research paper from its official website. This study documented that since 1990, far-right extremists committed significantly more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or Islamist extremists.

The data cited included over 227 far-right extremist events resulting in more than 520 deaths, compared to far-left extremists responsible for 42 attacks and 78 deaths in the same period. The removal of this study was noted by multiple independent media sources, including The Guardian, Mediaite, The Hill, and others. While the exact reason for the removal has not been officially stated by the DOJ, some reports suggest political motivations related to conflicting narratives about domestic terrorism trends.

The consistency across these independent reports supports the conclusion that the DOJ did remove such a study from its website as described.

Primary trail

Verified Sources10

Research on extremism removed from US Justice Dept website

nzherald.co.nz
Open source

DOJ Deletes Its Own Study From Website Showing ‘Far More’ Domestic Terrorism...

mediaite.com
Open source

US justice department removes study finding far-right extremists commit ‘far...

theguardian.com
Open source
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