(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, CEP located 33 posts on X posted by 18 accounts that promoted acts of violence targeting Muslims and Jews or spread propaganda from neo-Nazi accelerationist groups such as the Atomwaffen Division or the Base. Twelve posts included uploads of clips of violent footage from the Christchurch or Buffalo terrorist attack videos.
Online ISIS supporters celebrated the August 23 Solingen knife attack on Telegram and RocketChat, noting with approval that Germany was targeted. CEP researchers also located issue 38 of the ISIS-K-linked web magazine Voice of Khorasan. The August 18 edition encouraged attacks on Shiites, condemned the Taliban for protecting Shiites and taxing drug traffickers, and encouraged traveling to Afghanistan to join ISIS-K. Online ISIS supporters also shared designs for a 3-D printed firearm on RocketChat.
A Swedish Active Club-linked Telegram channel promoted a September 28 fight night event, promising networking and “gala-like elements.”
Finally, the administrator of a Telegram channel that spreads a pro-Nazi, Holocaust denial propaganda video praised the Internet entrepreneur and former hacker Kim Dotcom for posting quotes from the notorious antisemitic text The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion on X.
Posts on X Encourage Violence Against Muslims and Jews, Promote Neo-Nazi Groups and White Supremacist Terrorists
In a sample of content located on X on August 21, CEP researchers located almost three dozen posts from 18 accounts that encouraged acts of violence against Muslims and Jews, promoted accelerationist neo-Nazi groups, or glorified white supremacist terrorists, including posting footage from the Christchurch or Buffalo attack videos.
Posts included a drawing of the March 15, 2019, Christchurch attacker with accompanying text urging the viewer to “make it more than 51,” referring to the number of Muslims murdered at two mosques. The post had over 2,000 views 72 days after it was posted. A post by another account posted an image of a hand decorated with a swastika pulling a plant with a Jewish star out of the ground with the text “kill it at the root.” The post had almost 1,200 views after being on X for 48 hours. Another post, allegedly made by a British white supremacist, called for a “race war now” on August 4 and had over 2,500 views by August 22.
Additional content included four different uploads of Atomwaffen Division (AWD) propaganda videos, two clips from a Terrorgram video glorifying white supremacist murderers, a video and photos promoting the Base, and an account promoting the neo-Nazi satanic group the Order of Nine Angles.
CEP reported the posts to X on August 21 for violating the social media site’s policies on violent speech and violent and hateful entities. Four accounts were removed by August 26. The accounts that were removed promoted violence against Jews, posted support for the Order of Nine Angles, glorified the white supremacist murderer James Fields, and posted a violent graphic video. Seventeen accounts were still accessible on X on August 26, including content promoting violence against Muslims, advocating a race war, and content promoting AWD and the Base.
In addition to the above content, CEP located ten videos on X that included violent footage from the Christchurch attack video, one video that included violent footage from the May 2022 Buffalo attack video, and one video that included footage from both attacks. The videos were on the platform for between two and 99 days when found on August 21, averaging 18.5 days on X. View counts for the tweets ranged between 39 and 2,283, averaging 750 per tweet. In some cases, posts often included the promotion of violence against Muslims and dehumanizing language. CEP reported the posts to relevant national authorities on August 21.
Atomwaffen Division (AWD) video posted on X on August 19. The account that posted the video used a profile photo of AWD member Sam Woodward, who was found guilty in July of murdering a Jewish gay man. Screenshot taken on August 22.
Online ISIS Supporters Celebrate Solingen, Germany Knife Attack
Pro-ISIS online communities celebrated the August 23 knife attack in Solingen, Germany, where a man armed with a knife killed three people and injured eight others, targeting a large public celebration commemorating the founding of the city. ISIS claimed responsibility for the assault via their Amaq News outlet on August 24, stating that it was revenge for attacks on “Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” A photo of the perpetrator of the attack, where he appeared to be pledging his allegiance to ISIS, was released by Amaq on August 25.
Online ISIS supporters praised the attack on Telegram and RocketChat, including spreading publicly available footage from the aftermath of the stabbings and commended an attack in Europe. A Telegram channel stated that Germany should be targeted because it “is considered the second largest supporter of the Jews after the United States of America.”
Pro-ISIS Web Magazine Voice of Khorasan Issue 38 Released
On August 18, the ISIS-K linked al-Azaim Media propaganda group released issue 38 of the English language web magazine Voice of Khorasan. The main article condemned Shiites and encouraged attacks on them and Shiite sites. The piece also stated that ISIS’s so-called caliph, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, specifically ordered the January 3, 2024, attack in Kerman, Iran, where ISIS-K killed over 90 people and injured more than 280. The same article condemned the Taliban for supporting and protecting Shiites in Afghanistan. An infographic elsewhere in the web magazine stated that during the recent celebration of Ashura, Afghan Shiites thanked the Taliban for protecting them from ISIS-K attacks.
Other articles in issue 38 stated that the source of ISIS’s power was following the true religious path and accused the Taliban of violating religious law by taxing drug traffickers. An article that advocated fighting against the government of Saudi Arabia urged the reader to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS-K, stating that they hope to eventually “send groups of mujahideen to the world.”
As with previous issues, the web magazine included a wallet for sending the privacy cryptocurrency Monero.
ISIS Monero request in Voice of Khorasan issue 38. Screenshot taken on August 22.
3D-Printed Firearms Files Distributed in Pro-ISIS Chat
On August 21, files for a 3D-printed 9mm submachine gun were uploaded to a pro-ISIS chat. The files were originally publicly released on August 20. The firearm designers, who are weapons enthusiasts and not connected to ISIS, stated online that the model is meant to be made with no regulated firearm parts. Files for the firearms were released on at least two sites dedicated to sharing 3D-printed firearms plans and components.
Swedish Active Club Linked Gym Announces September Tournament
On August 21, a Swedish Active Club-linked gym group announced a fight night event on September 28. The post claimed the event would include exhibition fights “with gala-like elements,” possible international guests, merchandise tables, and beverages served by “Sweden’s most experienced bartenders from a well-known bar.” The post noted that all fighters or spectators must have their identities checked and approved to attend.
Active Clubs in the U.S. have hosted an annual private fighting event, “Frontier,” in southern California which is held in August. The 2022 and 2023 events have included members from Active Clubs around the U.S., as well as members of Patriot Front and likely members of the neo-Nazi skinhead gang the Hammerskins. Frontier has served as a networking event and an opportunity to gather propaganda footage. Multiple other extreme right fighting events have taken place in Europe.
Holocaust Denial Telegram Channel Praises Internet Entrepreneur For Spreading Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories
On August 20, a Telegram channel with almost 15,000 subscribers praised the Internet entrepreneur and former hacker Kim Dotcom for posting quotes from the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion on the X platform. The Telegram channel publicizes and shares a notorious antisemitic propaganda video that promotes Holocaust denial, defends Nazi Germany, and encourages antisemitism. The channel praised Dotcom for further mainstreaming one of the most famous antisemitic texts, itself a hoax published and spread by the Russian government in the early 20th century. The Telegram channel admin noted with approval that the tweet on X had received over 4 million views, and was a “major win,” despite Dotcom’s claim not to be “antisemitic or a Nazi.”