(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, CEP researchers located a YouTube video of an individual belonging to an eco-fascist, neo-Nazi online extremist collective giving instructions on the basic use and maintenance of an AR-15. Also, CEP researchers located posts on dark web imageboards offering tips for constructing explosive devices and selecting targets, as well as encouraging targeted attacks against people of color, Jews, and liberals.
Meanwhile, members of a neo-Nazi Telegram chat shared two videos made by pro-ISIS groups that contain instructions for building homemade explosives. Additionally, several white supremacist and neo-Nazi Telegram channels compared potential federal gun control laws to firearms confiscation in the novel The Turner Diaries, while also encouraging recruitment for the broader white power movement based on opposition to gun control. Finally, ISIS’s self-proclaimed province in Sinai released a series of propaganda photos purporting to show an attack on a tribal forces checkpoint.
Neo-Nazi Weapons Training Video Located on YouTube
CEP researchers located a YouTube video of an individual belonging to an anti-technology, eco-fascist, neo-Nazi online extremist movement giving instructions on the basic use and maintenance of an AR-15. The video opens with a Hitler salute and references “Satanic global elites.” The video had been online for nine days when it was located and had over 150 views. The account that posted the video belongs to a neo-Nazi survivalist who frequently references the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. The account had over 200 subscribers and over 9,700 views on February 18.
Bomb Making and Target Selection Tips Located on Dark Web Imageboards
On February 17, CEP researchers located posts on a dark web imageboard offering tips for constructing explosive devices and selecting targets. The specific imageboard was created in February 2019 and intended to be more extreme than the “politically incorrect” board on 8chan. The dark web imageboard specifically endorses national socialism, and users frequently praise white supremacist mass shooters and encourage violence.
CEP also located posts encouraging targeted attacks against people of color, Jews, and liberals on a different dark web imageboard that also urges acts of white supremacist violence. The board also venerates white supremacist terrorists and encourages others to follow their actions. Posts encouraged individuals to practice smart operations security, and to “gain experience” by starting small through street fights before working one’s way up to bombings and murder. A post made on February 15 encouraged mass casualty attacks to further accelerationist goals.
Members of Neo-Nazi Telegram Chat Share Pro-ISIS Explosives Videos
On February 18, members of a neo-Nazi Telegram chat shared two videos made by pro-ISIS groups that contain instructions for making homemade explosives. The chat had approximately 80 members, including individuals placing themselves in Europe and the U.S.
White Supremacist and Accelerationist Neo-Nazi Telegram Channels Encourages Recruitment Over Potential U.S. Gun Control
On February 14 and February 15, several white supremacist and neo-Nazi Telegram channels compared potential federal gun control laws to firearms confiscation in the novel The Turner Diaries. The channels encouraged recruitment for the broader white power movement based on opposition to gun control. A similar narrative is frequently employed when gun control is discussed in the media or at the federal level.
ISIS Propaganda Photos Spread on Telegram, RocketChat, Hoop, Telegra.ph
On February 16, ISIS’s self-proclaimed province in Sinai released a series of propaganda photos purporting to show an attack on a tribal forces checkpoint. The images include several photos of individuals killed by ISIS in combat. The images were spread via Telegram, RocketChat, Hoop, and Telegram’s Telegra.ph bulletin board platform.
ISIS propaganda photos spread via the Telegra.ph bulletin board feature on Telegram. The photos were posted on February 16, and still available two days later on February 18.