Army of God

The Army of God is a diffuse and leaderless anti-abortion terrorist organization in the United States that advocates the use of violence against abortion providers and supporters. The Army of God has claimed responsibility for the murders of several abortion providers, for a spate of fake anthrax attacks in 2001, and for the fatal Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Fast Facts:

1. Number of members, adherents: Unknown
2. Goal: Ending legalized abortion
3. Year founded: 1982
4. Current leader(s): Unknown
5. Country/region of origin: United States
6. Nations with cells, large populations of sympathizers: United States
7. Notable attacks: 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing
8. Victims: Six killed, fifteen attempted murders

Key Dates

• 1982: Army of God name first used during kidnapping of Illinois abortion provider and wife
• 1984: Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun receives death threat from Army of God
• 1984: ACLU offices; National Abortion Federation offices bombed
• 1993: Army of God member Michael Bray publishes book A Time to Kill
• 1993: Army of God manual discovered during arrest of Shelley Shannon for arson and attempted murder
• 1995: John Salvi kills two, wounds five in shootings at Brookline, Massachusetts abortion clinics
• 1996: Eric Rudolph places bomb in Olympic Park in Atlanta during Olympics; kills one
• May 31, 2003: Eric Rudolph arrested in Murphy, North Carolina

Brief Background

While members of the organization resorted mostly to arson and vandalism in the 1980s, the Army began advocating violence, including the murder of doctors, in the 1990s. Prominent self-professed members include Paul J. Hill, Eric Rudolph, John Salvi, and Michael Bray. Until 2001, the Army of God sponsored the White Rose Banquet, an annual meeting held in Washington, D.C.

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