(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread their ideologies and incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located posts on neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channels that encouraged additional acts of violence following a U.S. court’s sentencing of Aimenn Penny, a member of the White Lives Matter (WLM) movement, to 18 years in prison for firebombing an Ohio church last year because of planned drag events. Also, on Telegram, a neo-Nazi channel circulated guidance on purchasing burner phones with cash to register personal Telegram accounts to avoid law enforcement surveillance.
Additionally, the pro-ISIS propaganda group War and Media Agency released a video on Telegram glorifying Omar Hadid, a leader in the 2004 Battle of Fallujah, as a martyr for the ISIS cause. CEP researchers also located issue 32 of the Voice of Khorasan web magazine published by the pro-ISIS propaganda group al-Azaim Media. The web magazine condemned the government of the Maldives for maintaining relations with China and foreshadowed ISIS’ plans to target upcoming elections in Pakistan with violence.
Also this week, CEP researchers located 13 accounts on Twitter/X promoting antisemitism or white supremacism, nine of which were associated with Active Clubs. Additionally, the administrator of an online forum associated with the Canadian Active Club chapter shared a video praising a white supremacist who murdered four members of a Muslim family in Ontario because of their faith.
Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Telegram Channels Encourage Violence Following Sentencing of White Lives Matter Member
On January 30, neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channels recommended that their followers fully commit to violence and avoid “half-measures” following the sentencing of Aimenn Penny. A member of the white supremacist, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ White Lives Matter (WLM) movement, Penny was sentenced to 18 years in prison for charges related to the March 25, 2023, attempted destruction of an Ohio church using Molotov cocktails before scheduled drag events. Telegram channels noted that Penny was “emotional” and did not correctly plan his attack and that if one commits an act of violence, it should be worth the risk.
“Extremists are regularly spreading propaganda and incitements to violence to their supporters in unevenly moderated Telegram echo chambers,” said CEP researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “Telegram is failing in its duty to protect users and the public, which faces a greater threat of real-world violence in the absence of strict and consistent content moderation. It’s past time for Telegram to overhaul and strictly enforce its policies and to remove accounts that call for violence and terrorism.”
Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Recommends Using Burner Phones for Telegram Registration
On January 31, a neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channel that has previously celebrated acts of violence recommended that white supremacists use burner phones, paid for in cash, to register their Telegram accounts. The same post also recommended only using the phone for Telegram registration, using a VPN, and taking additional measures to increase operations security to avoid being caught by law enforcement.
Pro-ISIS Group War and Media Agency Releases Video
The pro-ISIS online propaganda group War and Media Agency released a new video on January 29, titled “The State,” consisting of a biography of Omar Hadid, who led fighters allied with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Fallujah in 2004. The video was presented as the first in a series.
The video quickly went over Hadid’s early militant activities before and after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, with the majority of the 22-minute video focusing on what is portrayed as his steadfastness and bravery during the Battle of Fallujah. The battle is described as a heroic struggle of several hundred under-equipped fighters facing off against a force many times their size and significantly better armed. The video concludes with the statement that while Hadid was killed in the fight, his struggle continues, carried on by ISIS fighters around the world.
The video was found on Telegram, pro-ISIS websites, and the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive removed the video after CEP reported it. The War and Media Agency last released a video on January 27, 2023, which focused on Egypt and the Sinai region, condemned the Muslim Brotherhood, and encouraged attacks on the Egyptian Coptic community.
