The Counter Extremism Project’s (CEP) weekly report on the methods used by
extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite
violence returns. Last week, ISIS’s al-Naba newsletter, over a week after the
attack, claimed that the terrorist group’s propaganda had inspired the man who
murdered 14 people in a vehicle attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New
Year’s Eve. On January 2, a regional white supremacist Active Club chapter
posted a recruitment video on Telegram, encouraging joining the group following
the New Orleans attack.





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Extremist Content Online: ISIS Propaganda Allegedly Helped Inspire New Orleans
Attacker


(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project’s (CEP) weekly report on the
methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread
propaganda and incite violence returns. Last week, ISIS’sal-Naba newsletter,
over a week after the attack, claimed that the terrorist group’s propaganda had
inspired the man who murdered 14 people in a vehicle attack on Bourbon Street
in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve. On January 2, a regional white supremacist
Active Club chapter posted a recruitment video on Telegram, encouraging joining
the group following the New Orleans attack.



JustPaste.It removed a 25-page guide to building and weaponizing quadcopter
drones after CEP reported it. CEP researchers also located 20 pro-ISIS
Instagram accounts in a search of Instagram, including an account that posted
propaganda advocating lone-actor attacks during the holiday season. Both
pro-ISIS and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist (REMVE) online
supporters posted memes, propaganda, and statements celebrating the Los
Angeles-area wildfires.



On X (formerly known as Twitter), CEP researchers located 15 videos that
praised white supremacist mass shooters and included violent video footage. One
account uploaded a violent clip from the March 15, 2019, Christchurch attack
video, which had been modified using an artificial intelligence platform.



CEP researchers located a Telegram bot allegedly belonging to a Canadian REMVE
group that directed users to a Stripe page to pay for a monthly subscription.
Also on Telegram, a REMVE Telegram channel that shares information on
3D-printed firearms referenced Luigi Mangione in a post sharing homemade
firearms suppressors. Four Florida Active Clubs announced greater coordination
and recruitment efforts in 2025, and a Texas chapter posted a video on Telegram
of one of their members participating in an underground boxing match. An
antisemitic Telegram channel encouraged their followers to share a propaganda
video using the Bio.Link service to avoid URLs backlisted by mainstream social
media companies.



Chris Hood, the former leader of the neo-Nazi group Nationalist Social Club,
launched a podcast where he emphasized the importance of focusing efforts on
promoting anti-immigration messages. Lastly, a white supremacist Telegram
channel posted a pirated version of the 2024 filmThe Order.



ISIS Al-Naba Newsletter States the Group Inspired New Orleans Attacker, Notes
Importance of Online Propaganda



On January 9, ISIS noted in their weekly al-Naba newsletter that the group’s
propaganda had inspired the New Year’s Eve attacker who killed 14 people and
injured dozens when he drove a rented pickup truck through a crowd in New
Orleans. The article praised ISIS propagandists, supporters, and translators as
crucial to encouraging terrorist attacks and promoted future attacks during
holidays and public events. Theal-Naba section also referenced the attacker’s
use of Meta glasses, noting that it was an example of using America’s
technology against it. The article pointed out that the financial cost to carry
out the attack was minimal.



The week of January 6–10, online ISIS supporters also made posts noting the
importance of spreading the group’s propaganda for inspiring attacks.



ISIS al-Naba newsletter article acknowledging that the group’s propaganda had
inspired the New Orleans New Year’s Eve attacker. Screenshot taken on January 9.



Active Club Chapter Releases Recruitment Video After New Orleans Terrorist
Attack



On January 2, a Telegram channel belonging to an Active Club chapter in
Tennessee released a recruitment video containing footage from the New Year’s
Eve terrorist attack in New Orleans and the Las Vegas Tesla Cybertruck
explosion. The video included clips of revelers running away from the New
Orleans attacker’s vehicle. Accompanying text in the channel stated that
individuals should be “stirred to activism” and that the attack negated excuses
for not joining Active Clubs or similar groups.



ISIS Online Guide for Making and Using Quadcopter Drones Removed from
JustPaste.It



On January 6, CEP researchers located a guide on JustPaste.It for using
commercially available quadcopter drones made by the pro-ISIS online group
al-Saqri Foundation. The 25-page manual included instructions for making
quadcopter drones, including recommendations for parts and computer hardware,
diagrams for wiring, and suggestions for how to outfit the drones with
droppable explosives. Links to al-Saqri content on other platforms were also
included. JustPaste.It removed the file approximately 30 minutes after CEP
reported it.



Al-Saqri drone guide. Screenshot taken on January 6.



Pro-ISIS Accounts Located on Instagram



In a sample of content located on Meta-owned Instagram on January 8, CEP
researchers found 20 accounts that posted ISIS and pro-ISIS propaganda.
Accounts posted clips from ISIS propaganda videos, Amaq claims of
responsibility, propaganda photos, and pages from theal-Naba newsletter.



One account made several posts in late December, sharing an image created by a
pro-ISIS propaganda group that called for lone-actor attacks on public holiday
celebrations. To avoid account removal, multiple accounts posted Amaq content,
such as claims of responsibility or photos, using the Instagram Stories
feature, which disappears after 24 hours. Two accounts, each with over 200
followers, also posted ISIS execution videos using the Stories feature.



The 20 accounts averaged 431 followers, ranging between 20 and 3,310. CEP
reported the 20 accounts to Instagram on January 8, but only two were removed
by January 13.



ISIS propaganda clip on Instagram. Screenshot taken on January 8.



REMVE and Pro-ISIS Online Communities Celebrate Los Angeles Fires



On January 8 and 9, REMVE and pro-ISIS online communities celebrated the
greater Los Angeles area wildfires that devastated several communities. Several
white supremacist Telegram channels noted with approval that “expensive Jewish
neighborhoods” had been destroyed and that Hollywood studios were impacted.
Multiple channels also shared a meme celebrating the burning of a Pasadena
synagogue. The administrator of a neo-Nazi channel with over 2,000 subscribers
connected to a podcast noted the fire with approval, stating that Los Angeles
was filled with South Asians.



Online ISIS supporters also noted the destruction with approval. Individuals
on Telegram and RocketChat celebrated the fires, calling them divine punishment
and comparing the devastation in Los Angeles to Gaza and that of previous ISIS
held territory in Syria.



Videos Glorifying White Supremacist Mass Shooters and Christchurch Attack
Video Masked Using Runway AI Located on X



On January 9, CEP researchers located 15 violent videos on X that glorified
white supremacist mass shooters and contained footage from the Christchurch,
Buffalo, or Halle attacks.



One video consisting of a violent clip from the live-streamed Christchurch
attack video, uploaded to X on January 5, 2025, had been modified using the
Runway AI video program to turn various parts of the video— including a victim,
a firearm, and vehicles—into the “Minions
<[link removed]>
” character from the children’s movie series. The footage contained audio from
the attack video, including the pleas for help from a woman before the
Christchurch terrorist murdered her. The video had over 1,350 views on X when
CEP researchers located it. Runway AI’sTerms of Use
<[link removed]> prohibit using the service to create
violent content.



Other content included violent clips from the Christchurch and Buffalo attack
videos, footage from the 2019 Halle attack by a white supremacist and
antisemitic gunman, and three uploads of clips from the Terrorgram “White
Terror” propaganda video that celebrate various acts of violence. The 15 videos
were uploaded between November 17, 2024, and January 9, 2025, and averaged
2,746 views, ranging between 47 and 11,600 for a video that included violent
clips from both the Christchurch and Buffalo attacks.



CEP reported the videos to relevant national authorities.



Canadian REMVE Group Offering Subscription Service Using Telegram and Stripe



The REMVE group Canadian Ultras, a rebranding of that country’s main Active
Club chapter, offers a monthly subscription to content on Telegram, charging
CAD $9.99 per month. The subscription uses a Telegram bot, which directs users
to a checkout page using Stripe, where users can input a credit card. It is not
clear if the recurring monthly subscription is a way of only sending the group
money or if the user receives content from the white supremacist group in
return. Approximately one year ago, a forum affiliated with the grouppraised
<[link removed]>
the man who murdered four members of a Muslim family in London, Ontario,
Canada.



REMVE Telegram Channel Promotes Homemade Firearm Suppressors, Referencing
Luigi Mangione



On December 24, a REMVE Telegram channel promoted files for turning
commercially available air cylinders into firearm suppressors using the phrase
“Deny, Defend, Depose,” which Luigi Mangione allegedly wrote on shell casings.
Mangione, who is on trial for the murder of health insurance executive Brian
Thompson, notably used a suppressor on his 3D-printed handgun. The file was
posted on Telegram and Odysee. A previous version of the Telegram channel,
which CEPreported
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to the platform in 2022, had uploaded files for 3D printing handgun
suppressors and rifle lower receivers.



Downloadable files for making firearms suppressors on Telegram. Screenshot
taken on January 7.



Florida Active Clubs Announce Statewide Events and Training Initiatives for
2025



On January 8, four Florida Active Club chapters announced their intention to
begin statewide events in 2025, “systematize” training among the different
chapters, launch a recruitment drive, and add instruction in first aid and
“marching” to the traditional list of training in boxing, jiu-jitsu, and other
martial arts. The four chapters, which announced their intention to be “the
premier white man’s training organization” in the state, represent Florida's
northern, southern, central, and panhandle areas.



Texas Active Club Posts Video of Member Participating in Underground Boxing
Match



On January 8, a Texas Active Club chapter posted a video of one of their
boxing instructors participating in an underground fighting match. The post
noted that the Active Club member’s opponent was African American, as were most
spectators, noting the “unfriendly territory.” The post stated that the club
member’s alleged victory was done “for the [white] race.” The Telegram channel
had over 500 subscribers, but the video had almost 2,500 views and was shared
by the main Active Club channel. While Active Clubs have held their own events
for members and allies of the white supremacist movement, at least one member
hasparticipated
<[link removed]>
in a pay-per-view match, and a member of a Central California chapter has
participated in several amateur mixed martial arts competitions.



Antisemitic Telegram Channel Creates Bio.Link Page to Avoid Social Media URL
Bans



On December 31, a Telegram channel that exists to publicize and share a
notorious antisemitic propaganda video encouraged using a new link created
using the Bio.Link web service to avoid URL bans on their website on mainstream
social media sites such as Facebook and X. The post noted that the political
division over H-1B visas in the U.S. offered an opportunity to spread the
antisemitic video. The antisemitic video has previously beenextensively
<[link removed]>
promoted on X. In one instance, a tweet promoting the video received almost
900,000 views; in other cases, accounts posted the entire multipart video. CEP
reported the account to Bio.Link on January 8 for violating their acceptable
use policy prohibiting using the service to “promote violence or discrimination
based on race, sex, religion, [or] nationality,” but it was still active on
January 13.



Telegram post promoting the Bio.Link URL for sharing a notorious antisemitic
video on social media. Screenshot taken on January 9.



Former Leader of Neo-Nazi Group NSC Launches Podcast, Announces Focus on
Anti-Immigration Message



Chris Hood, who claims to have stepped down from leading the New England
neo-Nazi groupNationalist Social Club
<[link removed]>
(NSC), released the first episode of a new podcast on January 3. In the
recording, Hood emphasized the importance of focusing on anti-immigration
issues and spoke approvingly of past NSC demonstrations, including ones against
the Somali community in Maine, noting that it was necessary to put pressure on
state governors to close migrant shelters. The group hadpreviously
<[link removed]>
held protests where masked individuals yelled xenophobic slogans outside of
hotels housing immigrants, seeking to intimidate residents. Hood noted that it
would be necessary for activists to continue to push for mass deportations
before focusing on restricting legal immigration, urging that listeners get
involved in local politics.



White Supremacist Telegram Channel Posts Pirated Video of “The Order” Film



On January 6, a white supremacist Telegram channel with over 11,000
subscribers posted a pirated version of the 2024 movieThe Order. The film
depicts the FBI investigation of the white supremacist terrorist group The
Order, whose members participated in bank and armored-car robberies,
counterfeiting, and the murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg. The channel has
shared content promoting neo-Nazism and antisemitism.



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