Despite being widely reported as one of the most serious threats to the United States, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that between 2010 and 2021, more Americans were killed by “domestic terrorism.” The death toll was lower than the death toll from lightning strikes.

Between 2010 and 2021, 231 different incidents resulted in a total of 145 deaths from domestic terrorism, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data reviewed by the GAO. according to According to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 28 Americans died each year from 2006 to 2011 due to lightning strikes. Assuming an average annual death toll, approximately 336 Americans were killed by lightning by 2010. And in 2021.

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The GAO report released Thursday summarized the agency’s work to date on violent extremism and terrorism. The organization sought to advise government agencies, such as the FBI and the DHS Intelligence and Analysis Agency (DHS I&A), on better approaches to contain domestic extremism and prevent domestic terrorist incidents.

Domestic terrorism accounts for just 13.2 deaths in the United States annually, yet the Biden administration has made it a high priority to combat domestic terrorism and crack down on extremist ideology, especially in institutions such as the military. . These efforts were largely inspired by the January 6th Capitol Riot. (Related: New study debunks Democratic major’s point about ‘domestic extremism’ and the military)

Despite the relatively low number of domestic terrorism cases during the 11-year investigation period, the GAO also found that the number of domestic terrorism-related cases pending with the FBI increased from 1,981 in 2013 to 1,981 in 2021. It also revealed that it increased to 9,049 cases. 357 percent.

In 2021, the Secretary of Homeland Security said domestic terrorism poses the most significant terrorist threat to the United States.

The GAO concludes that the FBI and other agencies will work together to improve domestic terrorism data sharing, and that the DHS and Department of Justice will develop a comprehensive counter-extremism plan with measurable goals going forward. recommended that