8×
Surge in plots and attacks targeting schools since 2023
16
Plots and attacks targeting schools since 2023
16.9
Mean perpetrator age — nearly 7 years younger than the movement average
67%
Of perpetrators in plots targeting schools were minors
31%
Of all movement injuries occurred in school attacks
Plots & Attacks Targeting Schools by Year
* 2026 data covers January 1 – February 28, 2026 only (partial year).
Between 2019 and 2022, there were no accelerationist plots or attacks targeting schools in the United States. Since 2023, the US has averaged ~5 violent accelerationist plots per year targeting schools.
7
Victim fatalities in school attacks
28
Victims injured in school attacks
4
Attackers died by suicide at scene
Perpetrator Age Profile
16.9
Mean age across plots targeting schools
23.8
Mean age across all US accelerationist crimes
Age Distribution — Plots Targeting Schools vs. All Other US Accelerationist Crimes
All other US accelerationist crimes
Youngest perpetrator recorded: 13 years old. No perpetrator in a plot targeting a school was 30 or older. Among post-2023 cases, 75% of perpetrators were minors (12 of 16).
The Online-to-Offline Pipeline
The perpetrators who targeted schools were often involved in the same online spaces, such as gaming platforms, group chats, gore sites, and fringe corners of the True Crime Community on Discord, Telegram, TikTok, and Tumblr. While they inspired and encouraged each other to act, their mobilization to violence occurred without formal group membership.
🎮
Online Spaces
Platforms like Roblox, Discord, and Telegram are often used to recruit vulnerable minors.
→
⚠️
Radicalization
Mass-shooter glorification, gore content, and "Saints Culture" are used to instill a misanthropic and nihilistic worldview in the recruits.
→
🏫
School Attack
Recruits choose schools as accessible, highly visible targets. Personal grievances, fame-seeking, and the desire to emulate past attackers merge as motivations to act.
Key Characteristics of Plots & Attacks Targeting Schools
50%
Of perpetrators targeting schools after 2023 had documented ties to the True Crime Community (TCC) vs. just 4.3% across all other US accelerationist crimes. Perpetrators who targeted schools were 11 times more likely to be TCC-connected.
Ideological Profile (School Plots & Attacks Since 2023, n=16)
NVE and Neo-Nazi labels applied where authorities used those designations.
O9A / esoteric far-right
1 / 16
True Crime Community
8 / 16
Categories are not mutually exclusive. 5 of 16 cases (31%) span multiple categories — three as NVE + TCC, two as 764/Com Network + NVE + TCC (MKU and NLM are treated as part of the 764/Com network) — reflecting perpetrators who moved through online true crime pipelines into organized accelerationist networks.
The Abundant Life Connection
The December 2024 Abundant Life Christian School attack has influenced several subsequent perpetrators who targeted schools. The perpetrators of the three successful attacks targeting schools since the Abundant Life attack explicitly invoked the Abundant Life perpetrator before their attacks:
Jan 2025
Nashville
A perpetrator, 17, posed like the Abundant Life perpetrator in photos, made a TikTok celebrating her, wrote her name on his weapons, and called her a "saint." He killed 1 and injured 2 at Antioch High School before dying by suicide.
Aug 2025
Minneapolis
A perpetrator, 23, wrote the Abundant Life perpetrator's name on weapons alongside other TCC-glorified mass killers. He killed 2 and injured 21 at Annunciation Catholic School before dying by suicide.
Sep 2025
Evergreen
A perpetrator, 16, idolized the Abundant Life perpetrator online and replicated her poses in photos before attacking Evergreen High School. He injured 2 before dying by suicide.
Nov 2025
Kenosha
A 15-year-old in Kenosha, WI, was arrested for planning a school attack to occur on the anniversary of the Abundant Life attack.
Post-2023 School Incidents at a Glance
Event Type
Location
Age
Motivation
PLOT
South Portland, ME (Apr 12, 2023)
Age: 17
Neo-Nazi
PLOT
Burleson, TX (Apr 18, 2023)
Age: 13
Neo-Nazi
THREAT
Lancaster, CA (Jan 18, 2024)
Age: 18
O9A
THREAT
Vernon, CT (Sep 27, 2024)
Age: 17
764
ATTACK
Madison, WI (Dec 16, 2024) ★
Age: 15
NVETCC
PLOT
Big Rock, TN (Dec 18, 2024)
Age: 18
TCC
ATTACK
Nashville, TN (Jan 22, 2025) ★
Age: 17
764TCCMKU
PLOT
Mooresville, IN (Feb 13, 2025)
Age: 18
TCC
Event Type
Location
Age
Motivation
PLOT
Glendale, AZ (Apr 15, 2025)
Age: 14
TCC
PLOT
San Antonio, TX (May 12, 2025)
Age: 13
Neo-Nazi
PLOT
Athens, AL (Jun 1, 2025)
Age: 17
764MKUNLM
ATTACK
Minneapolis, MN (Aug 27, 2025) ★
Age: 23
NVETCC
ATTACK
Evergreen, CO (Sep 10, 2025) ★
Age: 16
NVETCC
PLOT
Kenosha, WI (Nov 26, 2025)
Age: 15
TCC
PLOT
Fort Worth, TX (Jan 8, 2026)
Age: 17
MKU
PLOT
Mesa, AZ (Feb 19, 2026)
Age: 15
Neo-Nazi
★ Resulted in casualties. TCC = True Crime Community connection documented. NVE = Nihilistic Violent Extremist (designation used by law enforcement). MKU = Maniac Murder Cult. NLM = No Lives Matter. O9A = Order of Nine Angles. Neo-Nazi = evidence of Neo-Nazi beliefs without a specific group affiliation.
Key Takeaways
The Perpetrators Are Young
The average accelerationist perpetrator targeting schools was 16.9 years old — nearly 7 years younger than the movement average. Three-quarters of post-2023 perpetrators were minors. The youngest recorded was 13.
TCC and Online Radicalization
Perpetrators are radicalized online through gore sites, fringe True Crime Communities, and 764/Com network channels without ever joining an organization. Perpetrators in plots targeting schools were 11 times more likely to have TCC connections than other US accelerationist actors.
Schools Are Uniquely High-Risk Targets
31% of all injuries in US accelerationist crimes — 28 of 90 total — occurred in school attacks, even though plots targeting schools represent only 9% of all US accelerationist crimes. The concentration of harm, combined with evidence of contagion among perpetrators referencing prior attacks, signals a threat trajectory that demands a focus on prevention.
