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: ISIS Announces Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi As
New Caliph In Online Audio Message

 

(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 via an audio message, ISIS
acknowledged the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi and announced Abu
Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as the new caliph. Also, the pro-ISIS web magazine
“Voice of Khurasan” published its second issue.

 

Almost three years after the Christchurch terrorist attack, CEP researchers
were still able to locate the attack video and propaganda glorifying the
attacker, including on Instagram and TikTok. On YouTube, white supremacists
live-streamed a podcast that contained an interview with the co-founder of the
Rise Above Moment Rob Rundo. Separately on YouTube, CEP researchers found a
neo-Nazi electronic musician account. There was also a neo-Nazi music label
operating on the Google-owned Blogger platform. CEP researchers also found two
propaganda videos produced by the Atomwaffen Division on Instagram.

 

Finally, the Swedish chapter of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) announced
in a blog post that they do not support either Russia or Ukraine in the ongoing
conflict and urged their supporters not to participate as foreign fighters.

 

ISIS Names New Caliph

 

On March 10, ISIS <[link removed]> released an
audio message online from the group’s new spokesman Abu Umar al-Muhajir, via
the al-Furqan Media Foundation acknowledging the death of Amir Muhammad Sa’id
Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla a.k.a. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi
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 and appointing Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi
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 as the terrorist organization’s new caliph. Muhajir urged ISIS members and
supporters to pledge allegiance to the group’s new leader. The audio statement
also called for avenging Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi’s killing and for
patience and steadfastness in ISIS’s fight.

 

ISIS supporters on RocketChat, Telegram, Element, and Hoop, offered their
pledge of allegiance to Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi shortly after the
proclamation on March 10.

 

Shortly after the audio release, online pro-ISIS supporters on Element stated
that the priority was to spread the al-Furqan announcement and other propaganda
and not allow others to “rejoice at the killing” of ISIS’s previous leader and
spokesperson.

 

On March 11, ISIS released propaganda photos of fighters in Syria, Somalia,
Nigeria, and northern Iraq pledging their allegiance to the group’s new leader.

 

In addition to Telegram, RocketChat, Hoop, and Element, the ISIS audio
announcement was released on at least 21 websites on March 10, and a video with
a static background was released on ten websites. Within 24 hours, the audio
file was only available on four websites: the Internet Archive, Top4top,
Mail.Ru, and the IPFS distributed web protocol. In approximately 24 hours, the
static video was available on three websites: Facebook, the Internet Archive,
and the IPFS distributed web protocol. CEP reported the content to the Internet
Archive who made the content only available to logged in users. CEP also
reported the video to Facebook, who removed it.

 

New Issue of Pro-ISIS “Voice of Khurasan” Web Magazine Released

 

On March 9, the second issue of the pro-ISIS web magazine “Voice of Khurasan”
was released online. The main article stated the Taliban are hypocrites and
sought to portray them as lackeys of the U.S. The author claimed that because
the Taliban did not take over Afghanistan by force and negotiated with the
U.S., that they had been forced to accept democratic principles and had not
established a true Islamic governing or legal system. The magazine also
contained a profile of an Indian ISIS-K fighter killed in Afghanistan, who was
shown as an example of selflessness and piety. Other articles stated that ISIS
was following the right path, that other extremist groups, especially al-Qaeda
<[link removed]> and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
<[link removed]>,
had allied with nationalist groups and embraced religious hypocrisy, and that a
caliphate was the only legitimate form of government.

 

The magazine was spread on RocketChat, a pro-ISIS website, and the Internet
Archive. The first
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 issue of the magazine was released on January 31. CEP reported the content to
the Internet Archive who made it only available to logged in users.

 

Content Promoting Christchurch Terrorist, Including Attack Video, Still Online
Almost Three Years After Attack

 

The Christchurch terrorist attack video and propaganda glorifying the attacker
can still be found online, including on two major platforms, almost three years
after the horrific events of March 15, 2019. The week of March 6 to March 12,
CEP researchers located an 18-second video on Meta-owned Instagram that
contained violent footage from the attacker’s video. The clip was uploaded on
February 28, 2022, and had 122 views and 33 likes when it was found. CEP also
found two photos on Instagram that included images taken from the attack video,
uploaded on February 6, 2022, and November 14, 2021, with seven likes and 132
likes, respectively.

 

CEP also located a video on TikTok that included footage taken from the attack
video, which had been on the platform for over a month when it was discovered.
Two other videos on TikTok were found that contained drawings glorifying the
attacker. The attack video and a video with modified violent clips from the
video were also located on the blockchain-based Odysee video streaming
platform. CEP also found two different audio versions of the attacker’s
manifesto on Odysee and a video where the narrator spoke in support of the
Christchurch terrorist. Odysee’s Terms of Service <[link removed]>
 prohibit users from posting content that “promote(s) any illegal activity.”

 

White Supremacist Podcast Located on YouTube

 

CEP located a white supremacist podcast on YouTube live-streamed on the
platform on March 6. The podcast consisted of an interview with Rob Rundo
<[link removed]>, the co-founder of
the Rise Above Movement, who spoke of the need to form a white supremacist
counter-culture movement, stating, “Our enemies are legit parasites and I will
say I will use every single means at my disposal, everything I can to help
awaken our people.” On the podcast, Rundo offered recruitment tips and
advertised his active club movement and media brand, which has previously had
videos removed
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 from YouTube for violating the streaming site’s policies prohibiting hate
speech.

 

The podcast had over 500 views four days after it was live-streamed, and
comments on the YouTube chat included calling for violence against Jews. The
podcast channel had 785 subscribers on March 10 and had been on YouTube since
November 2020. CEP reported
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 a previous podcast episode in January 2022, but YouTube did not remove it. CEP
reported the podcast again on March 11, but YouTube did not take action.

 

White Supremacist Musician Has Monetized Ads on YouTube

 

CEP researchers located the account for a known neo-Nazi electronic musician
on YouTube. At least one video out of 25 total had ads enabled, which played
before the video. The account had over 66,000 views and almost 650 subscribers
on March 10 and was created on July 27, 2017. Videos posted by the profile had
links to a neo-Nazi website, and song titles referenced violent accelerationism
and white supremacist themes. Links on the YouTube page directed users towards
an online location to make donations to the legal defense of an Austrian
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 neo-Nazi musician facing a prison term.

 

Neo-Nazi Music and Merchandise Sold on Blogger Platform

 

On March 10, CEP researchers located a neo-Nazi music label operating on the
Google-owned Blogger platform. The online store sold music, flags, shirts, and
pins from a variety of white supremacist bands, including content that
contained Nazi symbols such as SS deaths heads, SS lightning bolts, swastikas,
and burning crosses, and antisemitic caricatures. Blogger’s Content Policy
<[link removed]> prohibits content promoting hate
speech. CEP reported the content to Blogger, who removed the online store from
their platform.

 

Atomwaffen Division Videos, Antisemitic Propaganda Located on Instagram

 

CEP researchers located two Atomwaffen Division
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 propaganda videos and a compilation video containing footage from AWD and The
Base <[link removed]> on Instagram. The two
AWD videos were uploaded on March 4 and February 28 and had 199 and 176 views
on March 10, respectively. The compilation video, uploaded on February 21, had
63 views. CEP also located an Instagram user that used an AWD propaganda image
as a profile photo. An account was also found that contained a link in the
profile for a neo-Nazi website that supports the work of James Mason
<[link removed]> and supports the
National Socialist Order. Other accounts located on Instagram included using
the 2011 Norway terrorist as a profile photo and posting antisemitic memes.
After reporting the content, Instagram removed the compilation video and one of
the AWD videos, however Instagram did not remove the second AWD video.

AWD video on Instagram, March 10, 2022

 

Nordic Resistance Movement Declares Neutrality in Russian Invasion of Ukraine

 

On March 6, the Nordic Resistance Movement
<[link removed]> (NRM)
declared in a blog post by the leader of their Swedish chapter that they do not
support Russia or Ukraine in the current conflict. The blog post stated that it
might seem logical to sympathize with Ukraine but that the NRM could never be
on the same side as the U.S. or Israel and that it was essential to challenge
the West, especially the U.S. The post stated that the group also does not
support Vladimir Putin, who the post stated has persecuted neo-Nazis in Russia
and leads a multiethnic state. A second NRM blogpost on March 10 attempted to
dissuade the group’s supporters and others from traveling to Ukraine in order
to fight, stating that they should remain “neutral” and focus on issues in
their country of origin. NRM has previously had a relationship
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with the Russian Imperial Movement
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