Extremist Content Online: Suspected
Steam Account Belonging To Christchurch Shooter
Located
(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. This week,
CEP located a profile on the gaming distribution service and social
network Steam that either belongs to Christchurch shooter Brenton
Tarrant, or is a replica of his account.
Additionally, a pro-ISIS affiliate group released a new
online magazine for the India region calling for violence. Also, five
alleged Atomwaffen Division (AWD) members were arrested, resulting in
far-right Telegram groups criticizing the formation of groups like AWD
due to the risk of being apprehended for taking illegal actions. Four
white supremacist Telegram channels were removed, including one
notorious for dispersing accelerationist content inciting violence,
however all four channels were either reinstated or were replaced. CEP
also located German AWD propaganda on the Imgur and ibb.co platforms.
Finally, an anti-Semitic Telegram account opened profiles on Twitter,
Facebook, Gab and Parler.
Suspected Brenton Tarrant Steam Account Located,
Being Used to Praise Christchurch Terrorist
Attack
An account on the gaming distribution service Steam suspected
of belonging to Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant was located. The
account lists its location as Tarrant’s hometown of Grafton, New South
Wales, Australia, and has a display name that matches Tarrant’s known
Steam account profile as reported by The Australian. The account was created in 2004,
and previously played as other display names that have been associated
with Tarrant. According to a website that analyzes Steam ID’s, the
last name change to the current account name occurred in July
2018.
It is unclear if Steam’s terms for Online Conduct permit Valve, Steam’s owner, to
remove Tarrant’s account. The Online Conduct rules prohibit
subscribers from using the platform to “Defame, abuse, harass, stalk,
threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of
privacy and publicity) of others.” The Online Conduct rules also
prohibit subscribers from using the platform to “Violate any
applicable laws or regulations.” The continued existence of the
account however, serves as an online memorial to Tarrant and his act
of terrorism.
Pro-ISIS Affiliate Releases New Online Magazine
For India Region
On Monday, February 24, the pro-ISIS Al-Qitaal Media Center
released the first issue of an online magazine titled “Voice of Hind.”
The magazine was released at a time of sectarian and mob violence in
India due to that government’s Citizenship Amendment Bill, which does
not include Muslims in India’s list of protected religious groups that
can attain asylum, and the National Register of Citizens, which calls
for Indians to provide proof of citizenship in order to be included in
a national registry. On February 26, the BBC reported that 27 people had been killed following
Hindu-Muslim clashes in Delhi. Muslims in India have been violently
attacked by sectarian mobs.
The magazine, which seeks to exploit tensions, calls for
Indian Muslims to join ISIS and praises individuals who have already
done so, or have committed attacks in the group’s name. Articles also
condemn nationalism and denounce India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Home Minister Amit Shah, and other government
officials.
The magazine was released on at least five platforms:
Opsdata.ch, Nextcloud, Pixeldrain.com, pdfhost.io, and the Internet
Archive. Three days later, the magazine was still available on four
websites: opsdata.cn, Nextcloud, Pixeldrain.com, and the Internet
Archive.
Five Alleged Members of the Atomwaffen Division
Arrested, Extreme Right Telegram Channels Criticize Group
Formations
On Wednesday, February 26, charges against five alleged
members of the AWD from four states were made public in Virginia
and Washington state. According to charging documents, John Cameron
Denton, who resides in Texas and is AWD’s former leader, was accused
of harassment and swatting ProPublica journalists as revenge for
revealing his name and face in a news report. Denton was also accused
of an attempted swatting of former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Kirstjen Nielsen that was thwarted by the U.S. Secret Service. Denton
had worked with John William Kirby Kelley, who was arrested and charged with swatting related
offenses in January 2020.
Four other individuals were charged in Washington state.
Kaleb James Cole, AWD’s suspected Washington cell leader, was charged
with sending threatening mail and cyberstalking. Cameron Brandon Shea,
also of Washington state, Taylor Ashley Parker-Dipeppe, of Florida,
and Johnny Roman Garza, of Arizona were also arrested. The four are
accused of seeking to intimidate a Seattle journalist and two people
affiliated with the Anti-Defamation League in Florida.
According to the affidavit in support of a criminal complaint for
Denton, the notorious neo-Nazi author and activist James Mason participated in online chats on the
Discord platform with members of AWD. According to court documents
“James Mason joined the (Discord) channel on multiple occasions to
offer the group encouragement in pursuing neo-Nazi activities and
views. Denton expected channel participants to join the channel when
James Mason spoke to the group.” Mason praised AWD in a September 2019
video made by the group and wore the group’s insignia, however he has
publicly claimed that he has no role with
AWD.
Following the arrests, several extreme right-wing Telegram
channels criticized the formation of groups like AWD, stating that
they are traps and that it is not worth being arrested for taking
illegal actions. Several posts advocating leaving society entirely,
rather than fighting against it.
Four White Supremacist Telegram Channels Removed,
All Reinstated or Recreated
Between February 20 and February 25, four white supremacist
Telegram channels were removed from the platform, allegedly for doxing
a minor in France. Two of the channels, removed on February 20, were
recreated, and the two channels removed on February 25 were reinstated
by Telegram. One of the channels that was removed had a content mirror
channel and was unaffected. The same dox information was also posted
on channels that were not removed. It is unclear how the removals were
performed, whether they were the work of a single individual lobbying
Telegram, law enforcement, or a Telegram team.
One of the channels that was removed is notorious for posting
accelerationist white supremacist content that endorses violence.
Telegram has notably not commented on whether white supremacist or
anti-Semitic channels have been removed for encouraging acts of
violence. Numerous channels and chats on the platform have called for
violence against people of color, Jews, LGBT people, Muslims,
immigrants, journalists, politicians, activists, and
others.
One of channels that was removed but later reinstated,
declared that they would remain on Telegram for the “time being” but
that they would start looking into other
options.
German Atomwaffen Division Propaganda
Located
Online propaganda posters made by an individual in support of
the German branch of the AWD was located on the websites Imgur and
ibb.co. The individual who made the posters shared the links on an
online neo-Nazi forum. Images include content made by the American AWD
translated into German, as well as calls to commit violence against
Muslims, Jews, anti-fascists, and asylum seekers in Germany, and
praise for accused Hanau shooter Tobias Rathjen. The online posters
also share a link to the online neo-Nazi forum. Each image on Imgur
had been viewed less than 35 times on February 27. All links were
posted on February 24, 2020.
Anti-Semitic Telegram Account Opens Twitter,
Facebook, Gab, Parler Accounts
On Tuesday, February 25, an anti-Semitic Telegram account
opened accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, and Parler. The Telegram
account posts photos of Jews and their tweets regarding anti-racism,
religion, gender, and sexual orientation in an effort to threaten and
intimidate them. Many individuals listed are left-wing, and most are
either journalists, activists, or
celebrities.
By Thursday, February 27, the Twitter and Facebook accounts
had been removed, while the Gab and Parlor accounts were still active.
An Instagram account that mirrors content from the
Telegram channel and shares the same name was created in January and
remains online. Content on the Instagram page is copied from the
Telegram channel. The Instagram account was reported on January 24,
but is still active a month later. The Instagram account has also
posted videos that encourage violence against Jews and promotes
Holocaust denial.
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