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UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

(U//FOUO) Domestic Extremism

Lexicon

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

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contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of
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(U) This product contains U.S. person information that has been deemed necessary
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(U//FOUO) Domestic Extremism Lexicon

26 March 2009

(U) Prepared by the Strategic Analysis Group and the Extremism and Radicalization
Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division.

(U//FOUO) Homeland Security Reference Aids—prepared by the DHS/Office of

Intelligence and Analysis (I&A)—provide baseline information on a variety of
homeland security issues. This product is one in a series of reference aids
designed to provide operational and intelligence advice and assistance to other
elements of DHS, as well as state, local, and regional fusions centers. DHS/I&A
intends this background information to assist federal, state, local, and tribal
homeland security and law enforcement officials in conducting analytic activities.
This product provides definitions for key terms and phrases that often appear in
DHS analysis that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-
Islamic extremism poses to the United States. Definitions were derived from a
variety of open source materials and unclassified information, then further
developed during facilitated workshops with

DHS intelligence analysts knowledgeable about domestic, non-Islamic extremism in

the United States.

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

(U) Definitions

(U) aboveground (U//FOUO) A term used to describe extremist groups or individuals

who operate overtly and portray themselves as law-abiding.

(U) alternative media (U//FOUO) A term used to describe various information

sources that provide a forum for interpretations of events and issues that differ
radically from those presented in mass media products and outlets.

(U) anarchist extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who advocate

a society devoid of government structure or ownership of individual property. Many
embrace some of the radical philosophical components of anticapitalist,
antiglobalization, communist, socialist, and other movements. Anarchist extremists
advocate changing government and society through revolutionary violence. (also:
revolutionary anarchists)

(U) animal rights extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who

ascribe equal value to all living organisms and seek to end the perceived abuse
and suffering of animals. They believe animals are sentient creatures that
experience emotional, physical, and mental awareness and deserve many of the same
rights as human beings; for example, the right to life and freedom to engage in
normal, instinctive animal behavior. These groups have been known to advocate or
engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism in an attempt
to advance their extremist goals. They have targeted industries, businesses, and
government entities that they perceive abuse or exploit animals, including those
that use animals for testing, human services, food production, or consumption.
(also: animal liberation)

(U) antiabortion extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who are

virulently antiabortion and advocate violence against providers of abortion-
related services, their employees, and their facilities. Some cite various racist
and anti-Semitic beliefs to justify their criminal activities.

(U) anti-immigration extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who

are vehemently opposed to illegal immigration, particularly along the U.S.
southwest border with Mexico, and who have been known to advocate or engage in
criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism to advance their
extremist goals. They are highly critical of the U.S. Government’s response to
illegal immigration and oppose government programs that are designed to extend
“rights” to illegal aliens, such as issuing driver’s licenses or national
identification cards and providing in-state tuition, medical benefits, or public
education.

(U) antitechnology extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals opposed

to technology. These groups have been known to advocate or engage in criminal
activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their
extremist goals. They have targeted college and university laboratories,
scholars, biotechnology industries, U.S. corporations involved in the computer or
airline industry, and others. (also: Neo-Luddites)

(U) Aryan prison gangs (U//FOUO) Individuals who form organized groups while in
prison and advocate white supremacist views. Group members may continue to
operate under the auspices of the prison gang upon their release from correctional
facilities.

(U) black bloc (U//FOUO) An organized collection of violent anarchists and

anarchist affinity groups that band together for illegal acts of civil disturbance
and use tactics that destroy property or strain law enforcement resources. Black
blocs operate in autonomous cells that infiltrate nonviolent protests, often
without the knowledge of the organizers of the event.
(U) black nationalism (U//FOUO) A term used by black separatists to promote the
unification and separate identity of persons of black or African American descent
and who advocate the establishment of a separate nation within the United States.

(U) black power (U//FOUO) A term used by black separatists to describe their pride
in and the perceived superiority of the black race.

(U) black separatism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals of black or

African American descent who advocate the separation of the races or the
separation of specific geographic regions from the rest of the United States; some
advocate forming their own political system within a separate nation. Such groups
or individuals also may embrace radical religious beliefs. Members have been known
to advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence directed
toward local law enforcement in an attempt to advance their extremist goals.

(U) Christian Identity (U//FOUO) A racist religious philosophy that maintains non-
Jewish whites are “God’s Chosen People” and the true descendants of the Twelve
Tribes of Israel. Groups or individuals can be followers of either the Covenant or
Dual Seedline doctrine; all believe that Jews are conspiring with Satan to control
world affairs and that the world is on the verge of the Biblical apocalypse. Dual
Seedline adherents believe Jews are the literal offspring of Satan and that
nonwhites, who are often referred to as “mud people,” are not human beings. (also:
Identity, CI, Anglo-Israel)

(U) Cuban independence extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who

do not recognize the legitimacy of the Communist Cuban Government and who attempt
to subvert it through acts of violence, mainly within the United States. (also:
anti-Castro groups)

(U) decentralized terrorist movement (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals

who pursue shared ideological goals through tactics of leaderless resistance
independent of any larger terrorist organization.

(U) denial-of-service attack (U//FOUO) An attack that attempts to prevent or

impair the intended functionality of computer networks, systems, or applications.
Depending on the type of system targeted, the attack can employ a variety of
mechanisms and means. (also: DoS attack)

(U) direct action (U//FOUO) Lawful or unlawful acts of civil disobedience ranging
from protests to property destruction or acts of violence. This term is most often
used by single-issue or anarchist extremists to describe their activities.

(U) environmental extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who use

violence to end what they perceive as the degradation of the natural environment
by humans. Members have advocated or engaged in criminal activity and plot acts of
violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their extremist goals. They target
industries, businesses, and government entities that they allege are engaged in
habitat destruction, citing urban sprawl and development, logging, construction
sites and related equipment, and man-made sources of air, water, and land
pollution. (also: ecoterrorism)

(U) ethnic-based extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who are

drawn together and form extremist beliefs based on their ethnic or cultural
background. Members have advocated or engaged in criminal activity and have
plotted acts of violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their extremist
goals.

(U) extremist group (U//FOUO) An ideologically driven organization that advocates

or attempts to bring about political, religious, economic, or social change
through the use of force, violence, or ideologically motivated criminal activity.

(U) green anarchism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who combine

anarchist ideology with an environmental focus. They advocate a return to a
preindustrial, agrarian society, often through acts of violence and terrorism.

(U) hacktivism (U//FOUO) (A portmanteau of “hacking” and “activism.”) The use of

cyber technologies to achieve a political end, or technology-enabled political or
social activism. Hacktivism might include website defacements, denial-of-service
attacks, hacking into the target’s network to introduce malicious software
(malware), or information theft.

(U) hate groups (U//FOUO) A term most often used to describe white supremacist
groups. It is occasionally used to describe other racist extremist groups.

(U) Jewish extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals of the Jewish

faith who are willing to use violence or commit other criminal acts to protect
themselves against perceived affronts to their religious or ethnic identity.

(U) leaderless resistance (U//FOUO) A strategy that stresses the importance of

individuals and small cells acting independently and anonymously outside
formalized organizational structures to enhance operational security and avoid
detection. It is used by many types of domestic extremists.

(U) leftwing extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals that embraces

anticapitalist, Communist, or Socialist doctrines and seeks to bring about change
through violent revolution rather than through established political processes.
The term also refers to leftwing, single-issue extremist movements that are
dedicated to causes such as environmentalism, opposition to war, and the rights of
animals. (also: far left, extreme left)

(U) lone terrorist (U//FOUO) An individual motivated by extremist ideology to

commit acts of criminal violence independent of any larger terrorist organization.
(also: lone wolf)

(U) Mexican separatism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals of Mexican

descent who advocate the secession of southwestern U.S. states (all or part of
Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas) to join with Mexico through armed
struggle. Members do not recognize the legitimacy of these U.S. states, including
the U.S. Government’s original acquisition of these territories.

(U) militia movement (U//FOUO) A rightwing extremist movement composed of groups

or individuals who adhere to an antigovernment ideology often incorporating
various conspiracy theories. Members oppose most federal and state laws,
regulations, and authority (particularly firearms laws and regulations) and often
conduct paramilitary training designed to resist perceived government interference
in their activities or to overthrow the U.S. Government through the use of
violence. (also: citizens militia, unorganized militia)

(U) neo-Nazis (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who adhere to and promote Adolph
Hitler’s beliefs and use Nazi symbols and ideology. Subjects subscribe to
virulently racist as well as anti-Semitic beliefs, many based on national
socialist ideals derived from Nazi Germany. Neo-Nazis may attempt to downplay or
deny the Jewish Holocaust. (also: national socialists, Nazis)

(U) patriot movement (U//FOUO) A term used by rightwing extremists to link their
beliefs to those commonly associated with the American Revolution. The patriot
movement primarily comprises violent antigovernment groups such as militias and
sovereign citizens. (also: Christian patriots, patriot group, Constitutionalists,
Constitutionist)

(U) Phineas Priesthood (U//FOUO) A Christian Identity doctrine derived from the
Biblical story of Phinehas, which adherents interpret as justifying inter-racial
killing. Followers of this belief system also have advocated martyrdom and
violence against homosexuals, mixed-race couples, and abortion providers.

(U) primary targeting (U//FOUO) Plans or attacks directed by extremists against

parties that are the focus of an organized campaign.

(U) Puerto Rican independence extremists (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who

engage in criminal activity and advocate the use of violence to achieve Puerto
Rican independence from the United States.

(U) racial Nordic mysticism (U//FOUO) An ideology adopted by many white

supremacist prison gangs who embrace a Norse mythological religion, such as
Odinism or Asatru. (also: Odinism, Asatru)

(U) racialist (U//FOUO) A term used by white supremacists intended to minimize

their extreme views on racial issues.

(U) racist skinheads (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who combine white supremacist
ideology with a skinhead ethos in which “white power” music plays a central role.
Dress may include a shaved head or very short hair, jeans, thin suspenders, combat
boots or Doc Martens, a bomber jacket (sometimes with racist symbols), and tattoos
of Nazi-like emblems. Some are abandoning these stereotypical identifiers. (also:
skins)

(U) radicalization (U//FOUO) The process by which an individual adopts an

extremist belief system leading to his or her willingness to advocate or bring
about political, religious, economic, or social change through the use of force,
violence, or ideologically motivated criminal activity.

(U) rightwing extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of rightwing groups or individuals

who can be broadly divided into those who are primarily hate-oriented, and those
who are mainly antigovernment and reject federal authority in favor of state or
local authority. This term also may refer to rightwing extremist movements that
are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.
(also known as far right, extreme right)

(U) secondary targeting (U//FOUO) Plans or attacks directed against parties

(secondary targets) that provide direct financial, logistic, or physical support
to the primary target of an organized campaign, with the goal of coercing those
parties to end their engagement with a primary target. Secondary targets can
include customers of or suppliers to a primary target or employees of a primary
target organization.

(U) single-issue extremist groups (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who focus on a

single issue or cause—such as animal rights, environmental or anti-abortion
extremism—and often employ criminal acts. Group members may be associated with
more than one issue. (also: special interest extremists)

(U) skinheads (U//FOUO) A subculture composed primarily of working-class, white

youth who embrace shaved heads for males, substance abuse, and violence. Skinheads
can be categorized as racist, anti-racist or “traditional,” which emphasizes group
unity based on fashion, music, and lifestyle rather than political ideology. Dress
often includes a shaved head or very short hair, jeans, thin suspenders, combat
boots or Doc Martens, and a bomber jacket. (also: skins)

(U) sovereign citizen movement (U//FOUO) A rightwing extremist movement composed

of groups or individuals who reject the notion of U.S. citizenship. They claim to
follow only what they believe to be God’s law or common law and the original 10
amendments (Bill of Rights) to the U.S. Constitution. They believe they are
emancipated from all other responsibilities associated with being a U.S. citizen,
such as paying taxes, possessing a driver’s license and motor vehicle
registration, or holding a social security number. They generally do not recognize
federal or state government authority or laws. Several sovereign citizen groups in
the United States produce fraudulent documents for their members in lieu of
legitimate government-issued forms of identification. Members have been known to
advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism in
an attempt to advance their extremist goals. They often target government
officials and law enforcement. (also: state citizens, freemen, preamble citizens,
common law citizens)

(U) tax resistance movement (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who vehemently believe
taxes violate their constitutional rights. Among their beliefs are that wages are
not income, that paying income taxes is voluntary, and that the 16th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution, which allowed Congress to levy taxes on income, was not
properly ratified. Members have been known to advocate or engage in criminal
activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their
extremist goals. They often target government entities such as the Internal
Revenue Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
(also: tax protest movement, tax freedom movement, antitax movement)

(U) tertiary targeting (U//FOUO) Plans or attacks against parties with indirect
links to the primary target of an organized campaign. Tertiary targets can include
employees, customers, investors, and other participants in a company (the
secondary target) that does business with or provides support services to the
primary target; or parties who provide direct financial, logistic, or physical
support to the secondary target.

(U) underground (U//FOUO) A term used to describe clandestine extremist groups,

individuals, or their activities.

(U) violent antiwar extremism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who

advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism in
an attempt to voice their opposition to U.S. involvement in war-related
activities. They often target the military, seats of government power, and defense
industry personnel, facilities, and activities.

(U) violent religious sects (U//FOUO) Religious extremist groups predisposed

toward violence. These groups often stockpile weapons, conduct paramilitary
training, and share a paranoid interpretation of current world events, which they
often associate with the end of the world. They perceive outsiders as enemies or
evil influences; display intense xenophobia and strong distrust of the government;
and exercise extreme physical or psychological control over group members,
sometimes isolating them from society or subjecting them to physical or sexual
abuse and harsh initiation practices.

(U) white nationalism (U//FOUO) A term used by white supremacists to emphasize

what they perceive as the uniquely white (European) heritage of the United States.

(U) white power (U//FOUO) A term used by white supremacists to describe their
pride in and the perceived superiority of the white race.
(U) white separatism (U//FOUO) A movement of groups or individuals who believe in
the separation of races and reject interracial marriages. Some advocate the
secession of specific geographic regions from the rest of the United States.
Members have been known to advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts
of violence and terrorism in an attempt to advance their extremist goals.

(U) white supremacist movement (U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who believe that
whites—Caucasians—are intellectually and morally superior to other races and use
their racist ideology to justify committing crimes, acts of violence, and
terrorism to advance their cause. Some advocate racial separation/segregation.
White supremacists generally fall into six categories: Neo-Nazi, Ku Klux
KlanUSPER, Christian Identity, racist skinhead, Nordic mysticism, or Aryan prison
gangs. White supremacists have been known to embrace more than one of these
categories.

(U) Reporting Notice:

(U) DHS encourages recipients of this document to report information concerning

suspicious or criminal activity to DHS and the FBI. The DHS National Operations
Center (NOC) can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9685 or by e-mail at
[email protected]. For information affecting the private sector and critical
infrastructure, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), a
sub-element of the NOC. The NICC can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9201 or by
e-mail at [email protected]. The FBI regional phone numbers can be found online at
www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm. When available, each report submitted should
include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people and type of
equipment used for the activity, the name of the submitting company or
organization, and a designated point of contact.

(U) For comments or questions related to the content or dissemination of this

document, please contact the DHS/I&A Production Branch at [email protected],
[email protected], or [email protected].

(U) Tracked by: TERR-020100-01-05, TERR-020600-01-05, TERR-060100-01-05