The Justice Department on Monday charged two California individuals who were alleged leaders of a white supremacist group that wanted to ignite a race war in the United States and allegedly plotted to kill “high value” targets and incite its followers to carry out terror attacks around the globe.
Dallas Humber and Matthew Allison allegedly became leaders of a group that deemed itself “Terrorgram” and was formed on the encrypted social media site.
The two were charged with a host of federal crimes including solicitation of the killing of a federal official, doxing federal officials and making interstate threats.
“The defendant’s goal, the indictment charges, was to ignite a race war, accelerate the collapse of what they viewed as an irreparably corrupt government and bring about a white ethno state. As the indictment lays out, defendants use the internet platform Telegram to post messages promoting their white supremacist accelerationism,” Kristen Clarke, the DOJ’s head of its Civil Rights Division, said during a press conference Monday.
The indictment alleges that the group “solicited terrorist attacks” including on alleged “enemies,” on government infrastructure, and on “high value” targets such as politicians and government figures.
“The List,” according to the indictment, includes U.S. senators, federal judges, U.S. attorneys and local officials.
When disseminating the so-called list, Allision allegedly included comments like “take action now” and “do your part.”
In at least three separate instances detailed by prosecutors in the indictment, users of the group have allegedly moved forward in carrying out violent attacks inspired by the group chat.
One user was a 19-year-old from Slovakia who killed two people at an LGBT bar in Bratislava before killing himself, according to the DOJ. The indictment alleges that the attacker sent a manifesto directly to Humber, which Humber later purportedly narrated and turned into an audiobook.
Both Humber and Allison later allegedly took credit for the attack and celebrated the attacker as the group’s “first Saint,” according to the indictment.
A separate case highlighted in the indictment involved the arrest in July of 18-year-old Andrew Taskhistov of New Jersey who was allegedly incited to plot an attack on an energy facility through his membership in the group. A third case highlighted in the indictment involved an 18-year-old from Turkey who allegedly livestreamed himself stabbing five people outside a mosque and later shared multiple publications from the group.
Part of the group’s alleged strategy was to target critical infrastructure, according to the DOJ.
Humber and Allison also allegedly created a documentary that celebrated racist incidents around the country from 1968 on, according to the indictment.
The pair also allegedly stressed the need to be covert about their operations and, according to the indictment.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced charges against two individuals who are accused of leading a white supremacist chat group on the messaging app Telegram. The group, known as ‘Terrorgram,’ has been under investigation for its promotion of hate speech, violence, and extremist ideologies.
According to the DOJ, the two individuals charged are believed to be the leaders of the ‘Terrorgram’ chat group, which has been linked to numerous acts of violence and hate crimes. The group is said to have a significant following and has been actively recruiting new members to spread their message of white supremacy and hatred.
The charges against the individuals include conspiracy to commit acts of violence, incitement to violence, and promoting hate speech. The DOJ has stated that they are committed to holding those responsible for promoting extremist ideologies and inciting violence accountable for their actions.
The ‘Terrorgram’ chat group is just one example of the growing trend of online platforms being used to spread hate and incite violence. Social media and messaging apps have become breeding grounds for extremist groups to recruit new members and spread their toxic ideologies.
It is important for law enforcement agencies and tech companies to work together to combat the spread of hate speech and extremism online. By holding individuals accountable for their actions and shutting down these toxic chat groups, we can help prevent further acts of violence and hate crimes from occurring.
The charges against the individuals accused of leading the ‘Terrorgram’ chat group serve as a reminder that hate speech and extremism have no place in our society. It is up to all of us to stand up against hatred and intolerance and work towards creating a more inclusive and peaceful world for all.
