Extremist Content Online: White
Supremacist Arrested For Threatening Al Noor Mosque In
Christchurch
Suspect Used Telegram Channel Dedicated To
Brenton Tarrant To Upload Threat
(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, a suspect was
arrested by New Zealand law enforcement for uploading an image on a
Telegram channel dedicated to Brenton Tarrant that threatened
worshipers at the the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Also, CEP found three ISIS propaganda websites, including one on the
Tumblr platform. Additionally, an ISIS video titled “Answering the
Call #3”, which calls for Muslims in East Africa to join ISIS, was
uploaded from the self-proclaimed province in Somalia and is still
available on numerous media platforms.
Threat to Christchurch Mosque Made on Telegram,
Suspect Arrested by New Zealand Law
Enforcement
On Sunday, March 1, a Ukrainian Telegram channel dedicated to
Brenton Tarrant shared an image of an individual wearing a skull mask
and sunglasses in a vehicle outside of the Al Noor Mosque in
Christchurch, New Zealand. Islamophobic and racist text accompanying
the photograph threatened the mosque’s attendees. Four days after the
photo was posted on Telegram, it had been viewed over 4,200 times and
was shared by at least five other channels. The one-year anniversary
of the Christchurch terror attacks, in which a gunman livestreamed his
murder of 51 people on Facebook after releasing an online manifesto,
is on March 15.
Sam Richard Scott Brittenden was arrested by New Zealand law enforcement officials
in a raid connected to the Telegram photo. Brittenden was charged with
failing to assist with a search warrant. The New Zealand news website
Stuff reported that Brittenden was a member of the male
only white supremacist group Action Zealandia (AZ). The New Zealand
news website Newsroom reported that another member of Action Zealandia
planned the creation of “terror cells.” On their website, AZ stated
that the group did not endorse Brittenden’s actions, and that they do
not support the use of violence. On their Twitter account, AZ called
the Newsroom’s article an attempt to silence the group. In addition to
a website, AZ maintains a Twitter, YouTube, and BitChute page as well
as a Telegram account. They have also attempted to recruit on at least
one chan imageboard. A Facebook account belonging to the group was
either removed by the platform or the group itself. The group’s
website uses Cloudflare as their name server and Epik as their
registrar. At least one member of AZ uses the social media platform
Gab. On their website, Action Zealandia claims to stand for “New
Zealand European identity,” nationalism, ecological sustainability,
self-improvement, and opposition to “demographic replacement.” Essays
on the site promote an anti-immigration agenda, isolationism, and
anti-Semitism.
Three ISIS Websites
Located
CEP researchers located three ISIS websites this week that
host the group’s propaganda. The first website, on the Tumblr blog
platform, contains short propaganda videos, news reports, photos, and
links to the group’s propaganda videos on other websites. The Tumblr
blog has been active since December 10, 2019.
The second website, on the .win domain, contains full length
ISIS propaganda videos, news releases, and the group’s Al-Naba
newspaper. Videos available on the site include recent ISIS releases,
statements from the group’s leadership, as well as notorious execution
videos, including the burning to death of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath
al-Kasasbeh, and the beheading of Alan Henning and others. The site
uses Cloudflare as its name server, and Name Silo as its registrar.
Information on the website’s host is obscured by Cloudflare. The
website was created on December 17, 2019.
The third website, on the .cf domain, contains propaganda
news reports, full length violent propaganda videos, and the group’s
al-Naba newspaper. .Cf is the country code top level domain for the
Central African Republic. It is unclear how long the .cf website has
been online for.
Recently Released ISIS Video Still Available on
Multiple Websites
On February 28, ISIS released a video titled “Answering the
Call #3” from the group’s self-proclaimed Somalia province. The video
calls for Muslims in East Africa to join the group, features ISIS
fighters in Somalia, and shows a bombing and the executions of alleged
members of Somali intelligence. The video also criticizes al-Qaeda
aligned al-Shabaab.
The video was uploaded to at least nine websites in addition
to Telegram and RocketChat: Amazon Drive, file.fm, mail.ru, Mediafire,
the Internet Archive, mega.nz, Yadi.sk, the Microsoft One Drive, and
Brightcove.net. Between two and six days after the video was released,
it was still available on at least five websites in addition to
Telegram and RocketChat: the Internet Archive, Mediafire, file.fm,
mail.ru, and Yadi.sk.
“Answering the Call #3” on
the Internet Archive, March 5, 2020
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