This report chronicles domestic extremist-related criminal activity in the first quarter of the year 2002. Such activity poses a significant problem in the United States. Its scope ranges from minor acts of harassment or intimidation to large-scale acts of terrorism. Its geographic extent ranges from remote rural areas to major metropolitan areas.

This chronology is not comprehensive, largely because law enforcement has no generalized reporting system for these kinds of acts and because such acts are often underreported in the media. Moreover, this chronology concentrates on criminal acts associated with what has come to be termed "right wing" extremism-primarily anti-government and hate-based ideologies, as well as anti-abortion extremism. There are, in fact, many criminal acts in the United States committed by other sorts of extremists, such as animal rights extremists. Just because this report does not chronicle such activity does not mean that they do not pose serious problems.

Events are included in this report when there appears to be evidence that the acts involved were significantly ideologically-motivated. Most hate crimes would not fall into this category and are thus not included, but this report does include hate crimes when there is evidence that the perpetrators belonged to a hate group or evinced a white supremacist ideology.

This chronology is based on a wide variety of public sources. Every attempt has been made to be as accurate as possible. Nothing in this text should be construed as presuming guilt on the part of any persons arrested for or charged with a crime.