Indictment Shows How Online Groups Allegedly Encourage and Solicit Extremist Acts
An indictment unsealed by the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California on 9 September gave a window into how white supremacist groups have allegedly used the social application Telegram to incite violence and terror.
The 15-count indictment charged Dallas Humber and Matthew Allison with soliciting terrorist acts against people in groups they deemed “enemies of the white race” and against government infrastructure, as well as for soliciting assassinations of government officials.
The pair allegedly led what was termed “The Terrorgram Collective,” which the indictment tied explicitly to three terrorist plots: the murder of two people outside an LGBTQ+ establishment in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2022; an attack against electrical substations in New Jersey that was intercepted by the FBI; and last month’s incident in Eskisehir, Turkey, in which five people were stabbed by an assailant wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest.
Authorities alleged Humber and Allison aided these attacks and encouraged others using a variety of tactics. First, and perhaps most notably, the Terrorgram Collective sought to lionize those who commit acts of murder, mass murder, and terror by praising them in various forums using the Telegram social site. Terrorgram called the perpetrators of the acts “saints” and “heroes of the white race,” and urged others to gain sainthood by committing similar acts.
Humber and Allison allegedly created a “Saint Encyclopedia” to memorialize acts of violence and developed criteria for how white supremacists could be included. To be included, the act must be racially motivated, deliberate (preferably planned), promote white supremacy, and include a fatality.
One Telegram channel post authorities attributed to Humber said: “The canonization of mass shooters and amplification of their messages creates an environment where aspiring attackers are increasingly willing to perpetrate violence as a way to honor previous ‘saints,’ attain sainthood themselves, and inspire future attacks.”
In another post both encouraging violence and admonishing would-be attackers to keep the specifics of their plans quiet, Humber allegedly wrote: “Just this week in fact the Justice Department announced it had arrested a man alleged to have been threatening violent disruption of Nashville’s upcoming Pride celebration—with ‘shrapnel pressure cooker bombs’ or ‘a mass shooting.’ ACTION > THREATS. If you’re terrorpilled enough to KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE keep your f----ing mouth shut and MAKE IT HAPPEN F-g month isn’t over yet, there’s still time… HAIL HOLY TERROR.” (Editor's note: The preceding quote was taken directly from the indictment with emojis omitted and course language censored.)
In addition to inciting acts of terror against groups of people, the pair are accused of encouraging people to sow disorder by attacking infrastructure, such as utilities or government buildings.
Another post attributed to Humber: “Both strategies—mass casualty attacks AND sabotage attacks on critical infrastructure—are effective and indeed necessary to achieve our goals. They’re completely different means, but they work towards the same end. And, most importantly, they work better together. After all, the best time to strike is when the power’s out and emergency services are disabled. Every attack is unique, but they’re ALL worth celebrating. Every target is a legitimate target. Every method of attack—sabotage, shootings, bombings, arson, stabbings, vehicular attacks, and more—are viable and justified.”
In more advice encouraging an attack and how to do it, a post attributed to Allison said: “Preparing an Attack/Sabotage: When sabotaging it is worth mentioning all the demotivating things an individual is going to face when executing an attack. Like having second thoughts, thinking it’s not going to work out, and the fear of getting caught… BUT DO NOT LET THIS BIG MISTAKE HAPPEN TO YOU! Remember, having a plan, knowing the area you are sabotaging, being masked up, having throwaway clothes, having the right tools, not bringing technology, and keeping your mouth shut is the key towards a successful attack.”
That post continued to encourage action and said “Never forget about the brothers waiting to celebrate your attack” and concluded with a link to a detailed map of the worldwide electrical grid.
The indictment also contains allegations that the pair provided explicit bombmaking instructions as well as links to a variety of online manuals and videos dedicated to creating bombs, chemical weapons, and other ways to maximize mass casualties.
Finally, the indictment said the pair created what they called “The List,” which was a list of politicians and other individuals who should be assassinated. The list included a U.S. Senator (unnamed in the indictment) described as an “Anti-White, Anti-gun, Jewish Senator,” as well as numerous other lawmakers, judges, and leaders of private companies and nonprofits. Each member of the list had a “card” of vital information and a photo.
In one exchange, a user of the Telegram channel asked if they had any targets in the Seattle area. In addition to responding with a card that had been previously shared, Humber allegedly provided an additional target several days later. Allison allegedly posted that “The List would do for killing what the printing press had done for literacy.”
In a U.S. Department of Justice press release on the arrest, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “Hate crimes fueled by bigotry and white supremacy, and amplified by the weaponization of digital messaging platforms, are on the rise and have no place in our society. This indictment charges the leaders of a transnational terrorist group with several civil rights violations, including soliciting others to engage in hate crimes and terrorist attacks against Black, immigrant, LGBT, and Jewish people. Make no mistake, as hate groups turn to these online platforms, the federal government is adapting and responding to protect vulnerable communities. The Justice Department is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will resolutely strive to bring to justice those who seek to threaten, undermine, or extinguish it.”
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram—the application heavily cited in the indictment—was arrested in France in late August for providing a forum where hate groups such as Terrorgram could proliferate online unchecked. Durov was released on $5.56 million bail, and he made his first public comments since the arrest last week.
He posted online: “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach. Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools.”
