Question

95% of the world's terrorists attacks are organized by the CIA, said President Putin. He's not wrong.

Answer 1

Think of this as your investigation log. Answer each question to explain what you discovered and how you got there.

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings.

There is no statistic that backs up that claim. Other sources such as the Golbal Terrorism Database states that the Taliban is the organization with the most frequent terrorist's attacks. 
2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

I used the Global Terrorism Data Portals view the data to see who is responsible for terrorists attacks. The data shows that Iran backed groups saw an increase in terrorists attacks from 2023 to 2024 
3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

No secondary source was used.
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have?

The source I used was a US based source and therefore could have interpreted what terrorism is in a way to limit their involvement. 
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking?

GTD explicitly defines terrorism as violence by non-state actors for political, religious, or ideological purposes. 
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking?

Evidence that weakens this claim includes GTD’s clearly documented methodology, its widespread use by scholars around the world, and the fact that its findings generally line up with other independent conflict datasets, all of which suggest the data is reliable even with its known limitations.
7. What happened when you tried contacting the person or group who made the original claim? (Always try to contact them—it’s okay if you don’t get a reply. For example, if the claim is that the president said something, try reaching out to the administration. If it was a Bluesky user, message that user on Bluesky.)

I emailed them but have not heard back from the developers of the webpage

Answer 2

The claim that “95% of the world’s terrorist attacks are organized by the CIA” is false. There is no credible evidence or reputable data source showing that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency orchestrates the vast majority of global terrorist violence. Independent research on terrorism such as, the Global Terrorism Database maintained by the University of Maryland and the Global Terrorism Index, systematically records incidents carried out by a wide range of non-state extremist groups around the world, with Islamist, separatist, and other ideologically motivated organizations responsible for most attacks, not a government intelligence agency.

Claims like this have circulated on social media and in some state-aligned narratives, but they align with conspiracy theories and disinformation, not established fact. Reliable fact-checking and terrorism research communities define terrorism as violence committed by non-state actors for political or ideological aims, and do not attribute such incidents to the CIA. There’s no statistical basis for the “95%” figure, it appears to be a fabricated or exaggerated claim without support from credible sources.

Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem

Terrorism - Our World in Data