Which right-wing terror attacks in 2024-2025 resulted in the highest casualty counts and where did they occur?
Executive summary
Most reporting and datasets cited here identify right‑wing attacks from 2024–2025 as the deadliest category of domestic extremist violence, with multiple sources saying right‑wing actors accounted for the majority of extremist‑related killings in 2024 and that a single January 1, 2025 vehicle ramming in New Orleans killed 14 people — a high‑casualty event noted in multiple analyses [1] [2]. At the same time, several analysts and CSIS data note a sharp drop in the number of right‑wing incidents in the first half of 2025 while left‑wing incidents rose numerically from a low base [3] [4].
1. Right‑wing attacks produced the lion’s share of recent fatalities
Independent and government‑linked studies and press analyses conclude that right‑wing extremist violence has produced the majority of extremist‑related deaths in recent years: the ADL found that all extremist‑related killings in 2024 were linked to right‑wing extremism and that 14 fatalities from an Islamist‑inspired New Orleans attack drove much of the 2025 total [1]. Broader reviews and academic datasets cited by The Conversation and CSIS likewise say right‑wing incidents “outpace” other types in total fatalities across years [5] [6].
2. The highest single casualty event cited in these sources: New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2025
Multiple commentaries point to a New Year’s Day 2025 vehicle ramming/Islamist‑inspired attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people; analysts use that event as a comparator for other politically motivated violence in 2025 [2] [1]. That attack is repeatedly highlighted in the dataset critiques and policy discussions included in the current sources [2].
3. 2024‑2025: a complex picture of incident counts versus lethality
CSIS and other analysts emphasize that counts of incidents and counts of deaths tell different stories: while right‑wing attacks historically produced higher lethality, the first half of 2025 showed far fewer right‑wing incidents and a small numerical rise in left‑wing incidents — five left‑wing attacks or plots through July 4, 2025, versus an unusually low count of right‑wing incidents in that same period (one cited example) [3] [4]. Analysts warn that a year with fewer incidents can still include high‑casualty outliers, so year‑to‑year comparisons require careful interpretation [7].
4. High‑casualty right‑wing events referenced in background datasets
Longer‑term reviews repeatedly list earlier right‑wing mass‑casualty events as illustrative of the ideology’s lethality in the United States: Charleston , Tree of Life and El Paso are cited as context for right‑wing deadliness in multiple sources [5]. These are used by researchers and journalists to explain why right‑wing attacks have accounted for the “vast majority” of domestic terrorism fatalities in many analyses [8] [5].
5. Disagreements and framing disputes among sources
There is a clear disagreement over emphasis. CSIS and related analysts highlight a notable decline in right‑wing incidents in early 2025 and a rise in left‑wing incidents from a low baseline [3] [4]. Other outlets and commentators stress that right‑wing actors still produced most extremist‑related deaths historically and in 2024, and that the New Orleans mass‑casualty attack complicates simple narratives about which ideology is deadliest [1] [5]. The Justice Department study removal and subsequent debate underscore political and institutional friction around these findings [9] [10].
6. What the available sources do not settle
Available sources do not mention a comprehensive, single ranking list limited to 2024–2025 that lists every right‑wing attack by casualty count and location in chronological order. They also do not offer unanimous attribution of every high‑casualty incident to a single ideology without caveats; several pieces stress methodological differences in what counts as terrorism and how motives are coded [7] [6].
7. Reporting implications and caveats for readers
Readers should treat counts and lethality separately: sources here show right‑wing attacks produced the largest share of extremist deaths historically and in 2024 [5] [1], but 2025 saw an unusual dip in right‑wing incident counts and an uptick in left‑wing incidents before July 4 [3] [4]. Source selection, definitions of “terrorism,” and politically charged removals or reframings (e.g., the DOJ study removal) all shape the public picture and reflect contesting agendas among researchers, media and officials [9] [10].
If you want, I will compile from these same sources a list of named incidents in 2024–2025 that are explicitly described in the citations and could be ranked by reported casualties; current reporting names the New Orleans Jan. 1, 2025 attack as the single highest‑casualty event noted here [2] [1].