Aryan Nations

Aryan Nations was a North Americanneo-Nazi organization that was originally based in Kootenai County, Idaho, about 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north of the city of Hayden Lake. Richard Girnt Butler founded Aryan Nations in the 1970s. It adhered to Christian Identity doctrine, a white supremacist interpretation of Christianity. The group had several state chapters, but was very decentralized.

Starting in 1981, Butler organized yearly gatherings of white supremacists at his compound in Idaho which he termed the "Aryan Nations World Congress." In 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classified Aryan Nations as a "terrorist threat." In a review of terrorist organizations, the RAND Corporation called it the "first truly nationwide terrorist network" in the United States and Canada.

Due to a decline in Butler's health, his abilities to lead the group faltered in the late 1990s, and the group experienced some schisms, including one led by August Kreis III, who Butler expelled. After his death in 2004, Aryan Nations schismed further into several different organizations, some of which continue to use the name Aryan Nations.