The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by
extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit
followers and incite violence. Last week, pro-ISIS groups on Telegram and
RocketChat urged followers to commit terror attacks in Europe and Sweden
specifically, following a Quran burning in Stockholm and a second planned
burning earlier this month. Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent also called for
attacks on a propaganda website affiliated with the group.





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Extremist Content Online: Pro-ISIS Propaganda Encourages Terror Attacks
Following Quran Burning



(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the
methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms
to recruit followers and incite violence. Last week, pro-ISIS groups on
Telegram and RocketChat urged followers to commit terror attacks in Europe and
Sweden specifically, following a Quran burning in Stockholm and a second
planned burning earlier this month. Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent also
called for attacks on a propaganda website affiliated with the group. CEP
researchers also located a statement from the pro-ISIS al-Azaim Foundation
condemning Iran’s execution of two men convicted for the Shah Cheragh shrine
attack, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel disguised as an open-source intelligence
reporting account, six pro-ISIS accounts on Meta-owned Instagram, and two
pro-ISIS accounts on TikTok. One of the Instagram accounts posted a clip from a
2015 execution video. The two TikTok accounts posted multiple videos, URLs for
pro-ISIS propaganda websites, Amaq propaganda photos, and one account posted
photos from a notoriously brutal execution video.



In addition, the pro-ISIS tech group Qimam Electronic Foundation released four
guides on PasteThis.To and spread via RocketChat. The guides described how to
use VPNs, provided guidance for applications with open access to smartphone
microphones, and explained methods and tactics that adversaries may use to
obtain passwords.



CEP researchers also located three clips of the Christchurch terrorist attack
video on Twitter, and two additional accounts on Twitter and four on TikTok
that glorified the shooter. The TikTok accounts posted memes, video clips, and
recreations of the attack video on Minecraft. Other TikTok accounts circulated
a white supremacist propaganda video from the British group Patriotic
Alternative and propaganda from the Atomwaffen Division and promoted the
Hammerskins.



Further, an online bookstore that uses web services from GoDaddy and Amazon
recently announced a sale of James Mason’s bookSiege, which advocates for acts
of terrorism and has been required reading for several extreme-right groups.



Additionally, a previously deleted neo-Nazi Telegram channel allegedly
operated by former members of a Canadian Proud Boys chapter celebrated 13,000
followers on July 11 by thanking its followers for connecting white
supremacists and growing their radical movement.



Finally, Rinaldo Nazzaro appeared on a new podcast where he spoke about his
own path to radicalization, promoted antisemitism, and described his creation
of The Base.



Al-Qaeda, Online Pro-ISIS Propaganda Calls for Attacks in Sweden



CEP researchers located propaganda made by several online pro-ISIS groups
calling for attacks in Sweden in response to the June 29 burning of a Quran
outside of a mosque in Stockholm and then again on July 12 in response to a
planned
<[link removed]>
Quran burning that did not occur. Messages in a pro-ISIS Telegram channel
called for individuals to commit terrorist attacks using whatever methods were
available. Content was located on Telegram, RocketChat, and pro-ISIS websites.



The propaganda and hashtags were similar to messages located in February
<[link removed]>
, which were posted by pro-ISIS online propaganda outlets in response to Quran
burnings in Sweden and the Netherlands.



In a press release on June 30 released on their propaganda website, al-Qaeda
in the Indian Subcontinent also called for attacks in Sweden and Europe in
response to the Quran burning. The communique stated that “freedom of
expression” was a “farce and an empty idea” to disguise “crusader” ideology as
secularism.



Pro-ISIS propaganda located on Telegram calling for terrorist attacks in
Sweden. Screenshot taken on July 11, 2023.



Pro-ISIS Group Condemns Iranian Executions of Alleged Shah Cheragh Attackers



On July 13, the pro-ISIS al-Azaim Foundation released a statement on Telegram
and pro-ISIS websites condemning Iran for executing two men for allegedly
carrying out the October 26, 2022, attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine. Iran
publicly hung two men, Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hashem Qatali, on July
8 after convicting them of carrying out the attack. The al-Azaim statement
proclaimed that the executions would lead to a “storm of revenge.”



Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Disguised as OSINT Account Located



CEP researchers located a pro-ISIS Telegram channel disguised as an
open-source intelligence (OSINT) reporting account. The account was
specifically advertised in a pro-ISIS chat on the RocketChat platform by the
Telegram channel administrator, and the Telegram channel has a mirror within
the same pro-ISIS RocketChat environment. The channel was created in May 2023
and has posted content related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and global
ISIS operations, including Amaq propaganda photos.



Pro-ISIS Content Located on Instagram



CEP researchers located six pro-ISIS accounts on Meta-owned Instagram in a
sample of content found on July 12. The six accounts posted a variety of clips
taken from official ISIS propaganda videos, as well as unofficial pro-ISIS
content. One account posted a video on June 17, 2023, that showed ISIS fighters
executing alleged gay men in Syria by throwing them off a tall building. ISIS
released the original footage in August 2015.



The video had 118 likes within 26 days and covered the ISIS logo on the top
right of the screen with an Instagram like symbol. CEP also located clips from
a recent propaganda videoreleased
<[link removed]>
on June 25. CEP reported the content to Instagram on July 13. Two accounts,
including the account that posted the video from August 2015, were removed by
July 17, but four accounts remained on the platform.



ISIS video located on Instagram on July 13, 2023. The video was removed
immediately after CEP reported it.



Pro-ISIS Tech Group Releases Four Guides For Improving Operations Security



The pro-ISIS tech group Qimam Electronic Foundation released four guides on
PasteThis.To and spread via RocketChat. All four posts are meant to increase
operations security.



The first guide, released on July 3, contained a series of tips on using VPNs
and advised users to avoid services that keep customer data. The second guide,
released on July 5, provided advice concerning security regarding smartphone
applications that access the device’s microphone. The guide released on July 11
contained a list and explanations of different internet protocols. The final
guide, released on July 13, included a list of ways adversaries could obtain
passwords.



Qimam Electronic Foundation guide on “Mistakes to avoid when using a VPN.”
Screenshot taken on July 13, 2023.



Pro-ISIS, Content Glorifying Christchurch Attacker and Neo-Nazism Located on
TikTok



CEP researchers found multiple examples of extremist content on TikTok in a
series of searches on July 13. Researchers located two pro-ISIS accounts that
posted multiple videos that included URLs for pro-ISIS propaganda websites,
advertised a recently released ISIS propaganda video, included pages from the
group’s al-Naba newsletter, and Amaq propaganda photos. One of the accounts
posted photos taken from what is widely considered one of ISIS’s most brutal
execution videos, released in September 2016.



Four TikTok accounts were located that glorified the perpetrator of the
Christchurch terrorist attack. One account posted a meme honoring the gunman.
Another account posted a four-second clip from the attack video, which had over
400 views after being online for approximately two weeks. Another account
posted a clip showing a recreation of the attack video in the game Minecraft,
which had over 8,000 views after it was online for almost 600 days.



An additional account was located that posted a recreation of the May 14,
2022, Buffalo attack in the game Minecraft. The video had over 2,400 views
after being on TikTok for 78 days.



Other accounts posted propaganda videos from several white supremacist groups,
including a video from the British group Patriotic Alternative, which had over
19,000 views and used a white nationalist slogan, an account belonging to an
individual who promoted the Swedish chapter of theHammerskins
<[link removed]>,
and two profiles that promoted the Atomwaffen Division.



CEP reported all content to TikTok or to relevant national authorities.



Clip on TikTok with almost 2,000 views advertising a recently released ISIS
propaganda video and a pro-ISIS propaganda website. Screenshot taken on July
13, 2023.



Clip containing a compilation of Atomwaffen Division propaganda located on
TikTok. The video had over 600 views after being on the site for almost 200
days.



Clips from Christchurch Terrorist Attack, Content Glorifying the Attacker
Located on Twitter



On July 10, CEP researchers three different clips on Twitter that contained
footage from the Christchurch terrorist attack video and two additional
accounts that glorified the attacker. One account posted an eighteen-second
video on July 6 that included footage from the attack and additional content
glorifying the gunman. The video had over 1,400 views within four days and had
been retweeted 10 times. A different video that contained footage from the
attack video encouraged acts of violence against Muslims in response to riots
in France. The video found the same day it was uploaded had over 750 views in
less than 24 hours. The final video contained a GIF that edited the attack
video to give it a similar layout to the video game Fortnite. The video was
uploaded on July 9 and had over 4,200 views and 49 retweets in approximately 24
hours. Two other accounts posted content glorifying the Christchurch terrorist
and acts of mass murder.



CEP reported all content to relevant national authorities.



Neo-Nazi Bookstore Sells James Mason’s Siege and Sunglasses to Benefit
Neo-Nazi Propagandist



On July 7, a neo-Nazi online bookstore announced the sale of James Mason’s book
Siege <[link removed]>.
The book advocates for acts of terrorism and has been required reading for
several accelerationist groups, including theAtomwaffen Division
<[link removed]> and The
Base <[link removed]>.



In addition to offering the book by itself, the web shop sold it in a package
deal with sunglasses that advertise a neo-Nazi propagandist who has sought to
intimidate attendees of drag performances in Ohio and recently announced his
intention
<[link removed]>
to build links with extreme right Russian dissident groups.



The web store uses GoDaddy as its registrar, and GoDaddy-owned
DomainControl.com as its name server and is hosted by Amazon.



Previously Deleted Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Celebrates Amassing 13,000
Followers



On July 11, a neo-Nazi Telegram channel celebrated surpassing 13,000 followers
on the platform. Aprevious version
<[link removed]>
of the channel, with over 41,000 subscribers, was deleted from Telegram on May
16, 2022. The channel is allegedly operated by formermembers
<[link removed]>
of a Canadian Proud Boys chapter and routinely posts racist, antisemitic,
anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBTQ content and advocates joining a variety of white
supremacist groups, including Patriot Front, the Nationalist Social Club, and
active club chapters.



After returning to Telegram following its deletion after the May 14, 2022,
Buffalo attack, the channel stated that it was more important than ever to
promote theGreat Replacement Theory
<[link removed]> because of
the media attention it was receiving.



In the July 11, 2023 message, the channel administrators claimed they played a
“pivotal role” in bringing white supremacists together online and in the real
world. A statement posted the same day by an Ohio active club chapter praised
the larger channel, stating that their support was essential to the growth of
their movement and that they had recently recruited an individual who found
them through the channel.



Telegram post from Ohio active club chapter praising the larger Telegram
channel that just celebrated reaching 13,000 followers over a year after being
deleted. Screenshot taken on July 13, 2023.



Founder of The Base Appears on New Podcast



Rinaldo Nazzaro, the founder of The Base who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia,
appeared on a new podcast released on July 15, where he spoke about his career
in the U.S. intelligence community, becoming radicalized, and creating the
neo-Nazi group. Nazzaro claimed that he became antisemitic after “very thorough
research” and that this realization helped him reconsider “national socialism
and Hitler” in a new positive light. Nazzaro praised the Atomwaffen Division
and denied claims that he was affiliated with the Russian government or had
worked on domestic counter-terrorism issues in the U.S. He further stated that
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “brother war” and that neo-Nazis and others
in the extreme right should not be involved, but conceded that “it’s
understandable that the Ukrainians don’t want to be invaded.” The podcast was
released by a neo-Nazi website that promotes the work of James Mason and
Atomwaffen Division successor groups.



###







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