Extremist Content Online: White Supremacist Telegram Channels Identify Need for Alternative Platform After State Department’s Terrorgram Collective Designation

(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 propaganda and incite violence. Last week, white supremacist Telegram channels noted the U.S. State Department’s designation of the Terrorgram Collective as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, posting that it was necessary to find alternative communication platforms and offering advice about avoiding crackdowns.

A pro-ISIS group cautioned their followers to only donate money online to individuals officially connected to the terrorist group. CEP researchers located posts from another pro-ISIS group, the al-Saqri Foundation, which posts bomb-making guides and provides other helpful information for committing terrorist attacks, on the JustPaste.It bulletin board platform. A new ISIS propaganda archive website was located on the .onion domain. Finally, ISIS’s online supporters continued to advocate for lone-actor terrorist attacks, including vehicular attacks and attacks on large public gatherings.

CEP researchers located a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe that encouraged harassment of a federal judge. The fundraising website Buy Me A Coffee also removed a Blood Tribe crowdfunding page after CEP reported it. Finally, multiple Telegram accounts belonging to U.S. chapters of the white supremacist Active Club movement made posts in favor of mass deportations and encouraged using pro-deportation sentiment as a recruiting message.

White Supremacist Telegram Channels Note Terrorgram Specially Designated Global Terrorist Designation

Multiple white supremacist Telegram channels acknowledged the U.S. State Department’s designation of the Terrorgram Collective and three of its leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) on January 13. The three individuals named are residents of Brazil, Croatia, and South Africa. Two U.S. citizens who had Terrorgram leadership roles were arrested in September and charged with soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. The SDGT designation prohibits financial transactions between U.S. persons and businesses and listed entities.

A neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channel connected to former members of the Atomwaffen Division noted the designation of Terrorgram but sought to downplay the threat of the movement that federal officials have linked to two attacks in Turkey and Slovakia. The channel claimed they were neither part of nor connected to Terrorgram. The channel had previously stated that they had contact with Terrorgram leader Dallas Humber, who was arrested in September. A neo-Nazi channel that focuses on operational security noted that the Terrorgram designation was another example of how the white supremacist online community needed an alternative to Telegram that provides better encryption and security features. Another accelerationist channel noted that it was better to be in online group chats with individuals of one’s own nationality to avoid terrorist designations or prosecution.

Pro-ISIS Group Issues Fundraising Warning

On January 14, the online pro-ISIS group al-Basair Media released a statement condemning individuals who illegitimately claim to be fundraising on behalf of ISIS. The post encouraged giving money to “prisoners in detention centers, camps, and other harsh conditions” but also warned that not every entity online that claims to be fundraising for these causes is authorized to do so. The statement lamented a “lack of accountability” for some ISIS supporters who claim to be crowdsourcing money for the group. The post advised that only those officially connected to ISIS could fundraise and that individuals should request proof before donating. The post also noted that money meant to go to prisoners would have to go directly to an ISIS-affiliated individual who would then distribute funds.

Pro-ISIS Al-Saqri Foundation Posts Bomb Making Guides on JustPaste.It

On January 15, CEP researchers located two online guides for making homemade explosives posted on JustPaste.It from the pro-ISIS online group al-Saqri Foundation. The guides included step-by-step instructions for synthesizing homemade PETN and TNT. Both guides advised on the quantity of explosives necessary to create an explosive suicide vest, and the PETN guide noted the importance of collecting supplies without alerting chemical vendors. CEP reported both guides to JustPaste.It on January 15, but they were still online on January 21.

Graphic for Al-Saqri Foundation Homemade TNT guide. Screenshot taken on January 15.

New Pro-ISIS Archive Website Launched

Al-Fustat, a new pro-ISIS archive site made by the group’s online supporters, was located on January 13. The website, on the .onion domain and accessible via the Tor browser, contains video, audio, and written propaganda from the terrorist group, including a large quantity of previously released violent videos, the group’s weekly newsletter, and bomb-making manuals. The page is included in a list of ISIS websites maintained on the surface web and on the dark web. The website also allows users to comment underneath content, allowing for a bulletin board function.

Pro-ISIS Channels Continue to Encourage Lone-Actor Attacks

Telegram, RocketChat, and GemSpace channels have continued to call for lone-actor attacks. An image released by the ISIS-K-linked online group Al-Azaim Media on January 10 advocated for lone-actor attacks on a variety of celebrations and public events in the U.S. and Europe, and, referencing the New Orleans attack, urged, “don’t wait for a new year to take action.” A pro-ISIS channel on the GemSpace platform reposted two previously released ISIS videos on January 10 and 14 calling for lone-actor attacks. On January 13, CEP researchers located a Telegram channel that reposted a pro-ISIS message encouraging attacks on public spaces in North America, Europe, Australia, and Russia using various means, including vehicles. On January 13, a pro-ISIS RocketChat user encouraged spreading a specific ISIS video on social media, initially released in July 2020, that called for lone attacks using all possible means, including arson and vehicular attacks.

Head of Neo-Nazi Group Encourages Harassment of Federal Judge

On January 13, Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, posted on X a photo of a federal judge, encouraging his followers to make sure she received “all the pressure she deserves and more.” The post, which received almost 7,000 views as of January 16, used a racial slur towards the judge, who recently ruled against another neofascist group, Patriot Front, in a civil suit regarding the beating of a Black man in Boston. The leader of Patriot Front, Thomas Rosseau, and other group members did not respond to the lawsuit, leading to a default ruling in the case.

On January 4, Pohlhaus stated that Blood Tribe was increasing its activity on the X platform, in a post that received over 2,000 views, and shared a link to a recruitment e-mail address and video. At least two previous X accounts belonging to Pohlhaus have been suspended from the platform for violating its rules. On January 15, CEP researchers located 31 accounts on X affiliated with Blood Tribe.

Buy Me A Coffee Website Removes Blood Tribe Fundraiser

On January 14, CEP researchers located a fundraising campaign for the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe on the website Buy Me A Coffee. The campaign had three financial backers who donated an unknown sum. Buy Me A Coffee removed the campaign after CEP reported it.

Blood Tribe fundraiser on Buy Me A Coffee, before it was removed. Screenshot taken on January 14.

Multiple Active Club Telegram Channels Advocate Mass Deportations

On January 16, six Telegram channels affiliated with the white supremacist Active Club movement made posts advocating mass deportations and advising their members to recruit for local chapters using a message of forced deportation. A main Active Club channel shared posts from group chapters in California, Tennessee, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and the Western U.S. All posts included photos of stenciled graffiti with the slogan “mass deportations now,” often accompanied by white power graffiti. A post from a Southern California chapter stated that the group would “pressure the incoming administration” to carry out deportations and advocated joining the group. An Arizona chapter invoked the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory.

###

Unsubscribe | Donate | Contact Us

Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe for yourself here.