RED FLAGS

One Quarter of Mass Attacks Driven by Conspiracies or Hateful Ideologies: Secret Service

A 60-page Secret Service report examined 173 attacks in public spaces, like churches or schools, that hurt three or more people between 2016 and 2020.

Conspiracy theories or hateful ideologies motivated one quarter of the perpetrators of mass attacks carried out in the U.S. from 2016 to 2020, according to a Secret Service report released Wednesday. The 60-page report, which examined attacks in public spaces that hurt three or more people, found that the typical attacker was a 34-year-old man motivated by personal grievances rather than extreme ideology. However, about a quarter “maintained some kind of conspiracy theory beliefs, so they believed, for example, that 9/11 and the moon landing never happened, that the U.N. was sending an armed force to come take away everyone’s guns,” said Lina Alathari, chief of the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center. At least six attackers became radicalized on the internet, including online message boards. Hateful ideologies motivating assailants ranged from anti-government to antisemitic or misogynistic views. Identifyig such trends may help community leaders better identify red flags, Alathari said.