Shootings in Minnesota:
The night of June 14, 2025, Melissa Hortman – a Democratic member of the Minnesota House of Representatives – and her husband Mark Hortman were shot and killed in their home. Earlier the same night, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife had been shot, but both survived.
The suspected perpetrator, a 57-year-old man, is described as a Christian abortion opponent. He is said to have been wearing a latex mask and a fake police uniform at the time and is believed to have visited several politicians' homes during the night.
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Arson attack in Pennsylvania:
The night of April 13, 2025, Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate their home after it was set on fire. Shapiro and his family, who had celebrated the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover during the day, woke up to the sound of police banging on the door as the fire raged. No one was injured.
The suspected perpetrator, Cody Balmer, has a history of mental illness, according to his family. According to the police arrest warrant, the attack on Shapiro was directed at him because the governor, according to the suspect, "wanted to do something to the Palestinian people".
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Assassination attempts on Donald Trump:
On July 13, 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight shots at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was giving a speech when the shots were fired and was hit in the ear. A person in the audience was also hit and died from their injuries.
Crooks was positioned on a nearby roof and was shot dead by Secret Service snipers after a few seconds. The incident is described as the security service's biggest failure since the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981. The incident is still being investigated by the FBI and the motive is unknown.
Two months later, on September 15, a new suspected assassination attempt on Donald Trump occurred during a round of golf. A 58-year-old man was discovered in nearby bushes, with a rifle aimed at a person on Trump's security team.
The Secret Service fired shots at the man, who fled but was later arrested. No one was injured. His trial began on Monday.
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Attack on Pelosi:
The night of October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi, the husband of top Democrat and then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, was attacked by 42-year-old David DePape with a hammer in his home in San Francisco. Pelosi suffered skull injuries but survived.
DePape had broken in to take Nancy Pelosi hostage, but she was not home at the time. The actual attack occurred when the police arrived at the residence and was captured on their cameras. DePape has a history of mental illness and believed in a range of right-wing extremist conspiracy theories. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
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Kidnapping plan against Gretchen Whitmer:
On October 8, 2020, 13 men were arrested by the FBI, suspected of planning to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Later, another man was arrested.
Half of those arrested could be linked to a right-wing extremist paramilitary group, Wolverine Watchmen, whose motive was to take power in the state through violence.
Several of those arrested were later convicted of both ordinary and federal crimes, including domestic terrorism. Some were acquitted. The group was infiltrated by two FBI agents during the investigation.
