The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by
extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit fol
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Extremist Content Online: Pro-Al Qaeda Group Encourages Attacks Following
Charlie Hebdo Comic Republication
(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. Last week, a media group affiliated
with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement encouraging
attacks on France following the republication of Charlie Hebdo cartoons
depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Additionally, CEP researchers located several
pieces of ISIS propaganda – including execution photos from May – on Telegram’s
Telegra.ph bulletin board feature, as well as a pro-ISIS website on the .pl
domain containing ISIS propaganda videos, ISIS weekly newsletters, and daily
Amaq News updates.
CEP researchers also located a recruitment video on YouTube featuring the Rise
Above Movement (RAM) founder Robert Rundo encouraging individuals to join white
supremacist groups, as well as a RAM-affiliated Instagram account venerating
the Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse. Additionally, a notorious neo-Nazi
accelerationist Telegram channel that frequently urges attacks on law
enforcement and Jews, and praises mass shooters was removed by the platform for
the second time. Finally, a neo-Nazi accelerationist group released a new video
on Telegram and claimed to have ceased online recruitment in the U.S. in
preference of in-person recruitment activities.
AQAP Releases Statement Encouraging Attacks on France With Republication of
Charlie Hebdo Cartoons
A pro-Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
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(AQAP) media group released a statement encouraging attacks in France in
response to the magazineCharlie Hebdo’s republication of cartoons depicting the
Prophet Muhammad. BrothersChérif
<[link removed]> and Saïd
Kouachi <[link removed]> killed
12 people in an attack on theCharlie Hebdo offices in 2015, allegedly in
retaliation for the cartoons' publication. The brothers stated their allegiance
to AQAP during the assault and trained with the group according to Yemeni
intelligence. The brothers were killed in a shootout with French police near
Paris two days later. The magazine republished the cartoons as a trial in
France began for individuals allegedly tied to the attack. The message was
located on the Internet Archive.
Pro-AQAP content on the Internet Archive, September 11, 2020.
ISIS Propaganda Located on Telegram Bulletin Board Feature, Including
Execution Photos Posted in May
CEP researchers have located multiple pieces of ISIS propaganda on Telegram’s
Telegra.ph bulletin board feature. Whilecampaigns
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by Telegram and European law enforcement agencies have made significant
progress in removing ISIS from the communications platform, gaps still exist.
Telegra.ph functions similarly to a bulletin board, allowing users to share
content with individuals who do not have Telegram accounts. CEP researchers
located numerous pieces of ISIS content on Telegra.ph the week of September 5
to September 11, including photos that show dead bodies from recent attacks on
security forces in Nigeria, photos from Iraq in August showing the production
of improvised explosive devices, and photos from Anbar province in Iraq from
June, and Kirkuk province from May, that both show executions of militia
members. All Telegra.ph links were originally located on the Rocket Chat and
Hoop platform. CEP researchers have previously foundextreme right
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content on Telegra.ph, includinginstructions
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for making explosives.
Pro-ISIS Website Changes Domain, Continues to Use Cloudflare
CEP researchers located a pro-ISIS website on the .pl domain previously
removed from the.es
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, .pw
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, .info
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, .xyz
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, .win
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, and .in
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domains. The website contains violent ISIS propaganda videos, the terror
group’s weekly newsletters, and daily Amaq News updates. Videos on the website
include recent ISIS releases as well as historical videos. The pro-ISIS .pl
domain website, like it’s previous versions, uses Cloudflare services. The
website’s domain suffix has changed, but the name of the website has remained
the same. The website has been changing domain names since at least March 2020.
Rise Above Movement Founder Releases Recruitment Video on YouTube
CEP researchers located a YouTube video made by a media group affiliated with
the white supremacist organization, Rise Above Movement (RAM). The video
feature’s RAM’s founder and alleged leader Robert Rundo attempting to recruit
and offering reasons why individuals should join white supremacist groups.
Speaking from his experiences with RAM and in Europe, Rundo states that the
movement has provided him with a wide range of benefits, including a sense of
purpose, friendships, travel, employment, the opportunity to meet women, and
the chance to help others in the white power scene. Rundo mentions traveling to
the extreme-rightSword and Shield
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festival in Ostritz, Germany and traveling to Ukraine.
The video was uploaded on September 7 and had over 1,600 views four days
later. The comments section included dozens of positive statements and allowed
commenters to interact with the video creators and ask questions. The RAM media
group is attempting to create a U.S.-European linked white supremacist
counterculture.
RAM affiliated content has been repeatedly
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found
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on YouTube, despite its use and promotion of violence. YouTube has failed to
remove RAM linked content when alerted to it, despite the platform’sCommunity
Guidelines
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prohibiting violentcriminal/terrorist organizations
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hate speech
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In July 2019, three RAM members were given prison sentences of 27, 33, and 37
months respectively, after pleading guilty to charges related to attacking
counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Rundo himself was
charged with crimes related to perpetrating violence at demonstrations but had
his charges dismissed by a judge. TheU.S. Department of Justice
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has stated that RAM members have previously “documented and promoted their
white supremacy ideology through postings on various internet platforms.”
Rise Above Movement Affiliated Instagram Account Promotes Kenosha Shooter
An Instagram account belonging to an online community affiliated with the
white supremacist Rise Above Movement (RAM) made posts praising the Kenosha
shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse, and urged their members to write him. The account
had over 600 followers on September 10. The Instagram account was reported for
violating the site’sTerms of Use
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2020. However, Instagram did not take action, despite the account’s numerous
posts in support of RAM. Journalists have previously noted Instagram’sfailure
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to remove RAM related content, despite the group’s use of violence at
demonstrations. In July 2019, three group members were given prison sentences
of 27, 33, and 37 months respectively, after pleading guilty to charges related
to attacking counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Telegram Channel Removed for the Second Time, Urges
Violence in Leadup to November Elections
A neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channel that is regarded as one of the
most notorious propaganda outlets on Telegram was removed for the second time
on September 9. In the days before its removal, the channel urged attacks on
law enforcement officers and Jews and praised mass shooters. The channel, which
had approximately 3,000 members, also frequently posted material praising
groups such as theAtomwaffen Division
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andThe Base <[link removed]>.
The specific reason why the Telegram channel was removed
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is unknown, or whether Telegram worked with a law enforcement agency to do so.
In June 2020, the channel was removed, however, the creators were able to
return to the platform, which including the creation of an announcement channel
that remains online. The announcement channel posts approximately once every
two months and will allow users to find the new channel when it is created.
In a message following the channel's removal, an allied channel posted a
message allegedly from the deleted channel stating that elections in November
would be “a time of reckoning” and urged acts of violence and agitating the
situation to lead to additional bloodshed.
Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Group Releases New Video, Claims to Have Ceased U.S.
Online Recruitment
On Monday, September 7, a neo-Nazi accelerationist group released a video
featuring members training with firearms and posting flyers. The video contains
different sets of individuals who appear to be in Europe and the U.S. The group
has a Swiss and alleged U.S. contingent, and individuals in the video appear to
be in Romania. Following the video's release on Telegram, the group announced
that they would no longer recruit members in the U.S. through the Internet and
instead focus on person to person recruitment. The group also stated that they
would focus on networking with similar groups in Europe, and encouraged
individuals to commit individual violent acts.
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