Hannah Allam

Washington, D.C.

National security reporter focusing on extremism and domestic terrorism.

Education: University of Oklahoma, BA in mass communications

Hannah Allam writes about extremism, domestic terrorism and national security for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2021 from NPR, where she was on the national security team. As a longtime foreign correspondent for McClatchy, Allam served as bureau chief in Baghdad during the Iraq War and in Cairo during the Arab Spring rebellions. She returned to the United States in 2012 and has reported extensively on U.S. foreign policy, race and religion, and the mainstreaming of extremist ideologies.
Latest from Hannah Allam

Study: At all levels of public office, threats now come with the job

New research on targeted local officials shows fear and intimidation are eroding democratic participation nationwide.

May 26, 2023

Texas shooter’s diary charts decade-long path to violence

The shooter in the Allen, Tex., mass killing showed signs of extreme hate as far back as 2013, but his online postings don’t spell out a clear motive, analysts say.

May 12, 2023

Texas gunman fantasized over race wars on social media before mass killing

Online posts by the gunman were littered with references to violent, hateful fantasies as well as numerous photos of the mall where he killed eight adults and children and wounded seven others.

May 9, 2023

A police chief got rid of a neo-Nazi. Then came the hard part.

An Illinois police department’s year of reckoning shows the difficulties of fighting far-right extremism in law enforcement.

May 8, 2023

Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio, 3 others guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy

Former Proud Boys chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and three other members were found guilty Thursday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

May 4, 2023

The deadly world of white-supremacist prison gangs

Missing people, buried car parts and human remains in Oklahoma: the silent but not so secret influence of white-supremacist prison gangs.

April 21, 2023

30 years later, Waco siege fascinates, infuriates new generations

Young Americans now learn of the 1993 Waco standoff through pop culture and social media, often with an anti-government undertone.

April 19, 2023

FBI informant testifies at Proud Boys sedition trial — for the defense

An associate of the group, who defendants in the Jan. 6 trial say asked for details about their trial strategy and gave them advice, was also reporting to the FBI.

March 31, 2023

The radicals’ rifle

Far-right groups have used the AR-15 for years to intimidate political opponents. Now leftist groups are turning to the same weapon.

March 27, 2023

Trump warns of ‘potential death & destruction’ if he’s charged in hush-money case

The post-midnight posting on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, was his latest — and most explicit — allusion to violence that could follow an indictment.

March 24, 2023