Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism - Bill St. Clair's ...

as “Aryan World Congress,” “Aryan Nations,” and “Aryan
Brotherhood.” Its popularity among white supremacists is
presumably due to Nazi ideology, which claimed that the “Aryan
race” was the “master race.”
Ar ya n Br o t h e r h o o d: A widespread white-supremacist prison
gang, not to be confused with the Aryan Nations. In its
activities, it resembles organized crime more than it does a
hate group or extremist group.
Ar ya n Nat io n s (AN): Aryan Nations is probably the bestknown
neo-Nazi group in the United States in recent times.
Established in the 1970s by former engineer Richard G. Butler,
the AN also incorporated into itself a religious entity, the Church
of Jesus Christ Christian. As pastor, Butler soon became one of
the most prominent Christian Identity ministers in the country.
As b at a l-An s a r: This Sunni extremist group has attempted
to overthrow the government of Lebanon. They have utilized
car bombings, and most of their activities have taken place
in southern Lebanon. They have no known United States
connection.
As s e v e r at i o n: The process of revoking all ties and “contracts”
with the federal government. Sovereign citizens claim that if
they sever all ties with the government, including social security
numbers, zip codes, income taxes, and so forth, they can
become sovereign citizens no longer under the jurisdiction of
federal or state governments, but subject only to common law.
Au m Sh in r i Ky o (Au m Su p r e m e Tr u t h Cu lt): This cult,
established in Japan in 1987, conducted the March 1995 sarin
gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, which killed 12 and
injured 6,000. Their principal membership is located only in
Japan, but several hundred members have surfaced in Russia.
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