FBI Monitored ‘Incel’ Ideology Nationwide, FOIA Documents Reveal Threat Assessments and Surveillance Priorities

A newly released set of FBI records obtained by The Black Vault through a May 7, 2025, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request offers an inside look at how federal authorities have assessed, monitored, and characterized the threat posed by self-identified “incels” — short for “involuntary celibates” — and other ideologically isolated online communities.

The release, which totals 22 pages of previously processed material, includes internal FBI communications, field office assessments, and collection priority messages circulated to law enforcement partners. According to the FBI, the documents represent material released under earlier requests, but additional responsive records may exist.

One record, originating from the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office in February 2019, notes that “Incel is an abbreviation of the term ‘involuntarily celibate,’ and was a word originally coined some 20 years ago to describe an online support forum for lonely singles.” However, it goes on to say that the term has since been “co-opted, and now represents a sub-set of young, misogynistic men whose lives are devoid of sexual activity.” The document further states, “Incels principally blame women for the sexual rejection they experience and direct their hostility towards them,” and that “some Incels believe society in general contributes to their predicament.”

Citing the FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG), the assessment affirms it is “not based solely on the exercise of First Amendment activities,” nor on “race, ethnicity, national origin or religion,” noting that any escalation in investigative scope would trigger a “separate substantive or predicated investigation.”

In an October 2019 communication from the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office, Incels were again described as turning their anger into “calls of violence,” including “online harassment and threats to instances of mass casualty incidents.” The memo referenced a need to collect intelligence “through the use of” redacted techniques, consistent with investigative policy.

A separate document marked “UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE” and dated September 2019 was sent as an “External Collection Priorities Message” by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office to state and local law enforcement. It highlights “Involuntary Celibate Violent Extremists (IVEs)” as a subset responsible for “at least 27 fatalities in the United States and Canada since 2014.” The memo warns that Incels “idolize” past attackers and encourages partners to assist in identifying adherents in Washington State. Notably, the FBI cautions that “Law Enforcement may not recognize Incel ideology during encounters due to a lack of familiarity of Incel terminology and the potential threat posed by IVEs.”

The release includes a cel-specific jargon drawn from open-source monitoring, including dozens of terms like “Stacy” (a derisive term for attractive women), “Chad” (a term for attractive, dominant men), and “LDAR” (“lie down and rot,” referring to hopelessness). The vocabulary highlights how Incels use coded language online, which the FBI warns complicates detection and intervention efforts.

Also referenced in multiple documents is Elliot Rodger, the perpetrator of a 2014 mass shooting in Isla Vista, California, who has become a “revered” figure within Incel communities. In one file, the FBI cites Rodger’s manifesto and states he is “widely revered in Incel circles” and has been called “the first alt-right terrorist” by at least one nongovernmental organization.

The documents suggest that since at least 2019, the FBI has categorized incel-related activity as a potential domestic violent extremism (DVE) concern, sharing intelligence with Joint Terrorism Task Forces and fusion centers. However, the documents also emphasize that such assessments are conducted with an awareness of First Amendment protections and that investigative activities must align with legal thresholds outlined in agency policy.

Though redactions throughout the release obscure specific methods and operational details, the records confirm that incel ideology has been formally addressed within multiple FBI field offices and that efforts to detect associated threats remain an intelligence-sharing priority across federal, state, and local law enforcement communities.

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Document Archive

FOIA Case 1667840-000 [29 Pages, 0.9MB]

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