Anwar al-Awlaki was a U.S.-Yemeni dual citizen and longtime cleric, propagandist, and operative for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).“Treasury Designates Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Key Leader of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 16, 2010, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg779.aspx. On September 30, 2011, Awlaki was targeted and killed in Yemen in the first U.S. drone strike to deliberately target a U.S. citizen.Spencer Ackerman, “US cited controversial law in decision to kill American citizen by drone,” Guardian (London), http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/23/us-justification-drone-killing-american-citizen-awlaki. While he was alive, Awlaki directed a number of terrorist plots against the United States,“Remarks by the President at the "Change of Office" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ceremony,” The White House, September 30, 2011, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/30/remarks-president-change-office-chairman-joint-chiefs-staff-ceremony. and disseminated English- and Arabic-language videos, audio recordings, and articles online.“Cleric al-Awlaki dubbed ‘bin Laden of the Internet,’” USA Today, last updated September 30, 2011, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-08-25-1A_Awlaki25_CV_N.htm. Awlaki’s teachings—still widely available on the Internet—continue to inspire scores of terrorist attacks, frequently aimed at the United States.“Anwar al-Awlaki’s Ties to Extremists,” Counter Extremism Project, accessed September 2016, http://www.counterextremism.com/anwar-al-awlaki?utm_source=Nationbuilder&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Awlaki%20Resource. CEP continues to identify these extremists in its online resource, Anwar al-Awlaki’s Ties to Extremists.

In November 2017, in response to external pressure from governments and CEP, Google drastically reduced the amount of Awlaki’s recorded lectures from its YouTube platform.“CEP Statement on YouTube Removal of Anwar al-Awlaki Material,” Counter Extremism Project, November 14, 2017, https://www.counterextremism.com/press/cep-statement-youtube-removal-anwar-al-awlaki-material-0; Scott Shane, “In ‘Watershed Moment,’ YouTube Blocks Extremist Cleric’s Message,” New York Times, November 12, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/us/politics/youtube-terrorism-anwar-al-awlaki.html.

Awlaki was born in New Mexico in 1971 and moved to Yemen with his family at the age of 7. He returned to the United States in 1990 to study engineering at Colorado State University, where he served as president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and delivered sermons at the Islamic Center of the Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado.Scott Shane and Souad Mekhennet, “Imam’s Path From Condemning Terror to Preaching Jihad,” The New York Times, May 8, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html; Bruce Finley, “Muslim Cleric Targeted by U.S. Made Little Impression During Colorado Years,” The Denver Post, April 11, 2010, http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14861059. According to terror analyst J.M. Berger, in 1993, Awlaki may have spent his summer training with the muhajideen in Afghanistan.J.M. Berger, Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam (Washington, D.C., Potomac Books Inc., 2011), https://books.google.com/books?id=LomKwVXd-o8C&pg=PT184&lpg=PT184&dq=summer+1993+awlaki+%2B+afghanistan&source=bl&ots=JnXxd00Vzf&sig=PbwAmJhS1Qh-JsmKajWKZLcKf2o&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7_ZGqtqPPAhWBKB4KHdvEB7oQ6AEIIzAC#v=onepage&q=summer%201993%20awlaki%20%2B%20afghanistan&f=false; Cynthia Ghazali, “Anwar al-Awlaki, Al Qaeda chief, killed in Yemen by U.S. airstrike: Timeline of his life,” NY Daily News, September 30, 2011, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/anwar-al-awlaki-al-qaeda-chief-killed-yemen-u-s-airstrike-timeline-life-article-1.958573.

In the mid-late 1990s, while living in California, Awlaki became more involved in his local Muslim community while privately engaging in illegal activities. Between 1996 and 2000, Awlaki served as imam at the Arribat al-Islami (Rabat) mosque in San Diego,Scott Shane and Souad Mekhennet, “Imam’s Path From Condemning Terror to Preaching Jihad,” The New York Times, May 8, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html. but was twice arrested for soliciting prostitutes.“Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki 'spent thousands on prostitutes as he traveled the U.S. spreading his message of radical Islam',” Daily Mail, July 2, 2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353860/Al-Qaeda-leader-Anwar-al-Awlaki-spent-thousands-prostitutes.html;
“Anwar al-Awlaki Fast Facts,” CNN, August 23, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/world/meast/anwar-al-awlaki-fast-facts/. Awlaki is also believed to have participated in the financing of terror.J.M. Berger, “Exclusive: U.S. Gave Millions to Charity Linked to Al Qaeda, Anwar Awlaki,” INTELWIRE, April 14, 2010, http://news.intelwire.com/2010/04/us-gave-millions-to-charity-linked-to.html; Tom Hays, “FBI Eyes NYC 'Charity' in Terror Probe,” The Washington Post, February 26, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9947-2004Feb26.html. From 1998 to 1999, Awlaki served as vice president of the Charitable Society for Social Welfare, which one FBI agent later referred to as a “front organization to funnel money to terrorists.”J.M. Berger, “Exclusive: U.S. Gave Millions to Charity Linked to Al Qaeda, Anwar Awlaki,” INTELWIRE, April 14, 2010, http://news.intelwire.com/2010/04/us-gave-millions-to-charity-linked-to.html; Tom Hays, “FBI Eyes NYC 'Charity' in Terror Probe,” The Washington Post, February 26, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9947-2004Feb26.html.

The FBI opened an investigation on Awlaki in June 1999 upon receiving a tip that he had been contacted by one of Osama bin Laden’s agents in the United States.The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, official government edition (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004), p. 517, http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf; J.M. Berger, “Anwar Al-Awlaki's Links to the September 11 Hijackers,” Atlantic, September 9, 2011, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/anwar-al-awlakis-links-to-the-september-11-hijackers/244796/. However, the investigation was closed in March of 2000 due to insufficient evidence.Joseph Rhee and Mark Schone, “How Anwar Awlaki Got Away,” ABC News, November 30, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720. Days before the FBI closed his file, Awlaki met and allegedly befriended 9/11 hijackers Khalid al-Mindhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who reportedly attended the San Diego mosque at which Awlaki preached.The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, official government edition (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004), p. 221, http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf; J.M. Berger, “Anwar Al-Awlaki's Links to the September 11 Hijackers,” Atlantic, September 9, 2011, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/anwar-al-awlakis-links-to-the-september-11-hijackers/244796/. In 2001, Awlaki settled in Falls Church, Virginia, and became imam at the Dar Al Hijrah mosque, one of the largest mosques in the United States.Cynthia Ghazali, “Anwar al-Awlaki, Al Qaeda Chief, Killed in Yemen by U.S. Airstrike: Timeline of His Life,” NY Daily News, September 30, 2011, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/anwar-al-awlaki-al-qaeda-chief-killed-yemen-u-s-airstrike-timeline-life-article-1.958573;
Associated Press, “Al-Qaida Cleric Death: Mixed Emotions at Virginia Mosque Where He Preached,” Guardian (London), September 30, 2011, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/30/anwar-awlaki-mosque-virginia-worshippers; “Inside Dar Al-Hijrah,” Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/inside-dar-al-hijrah/2011/09/02/gIQAZzju2J_gallery.html. That year, Awlaki also reportedly met 9/11 hijacker Hani Hanjour.J.M. Berger, “Anwar Al-Awlaki's Links to the September 11 Hijackers,” Atlantic, September 9, 2011, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/anwar-al-awlakis-links-to-the-september-11-hijackers/244796/. Although Awlaki met these three 9/11 hijackers before the attacks, Awlaki’s complicity in the attacks remains inconclusive. However, one detective told the 9/11 commission that he believed Awlaki “was at the center of the 9/11 story.”Scott Shane and Souad Mekhennet, “Imam’s Path From Condemning Terror to Preaching Jihad,” The New York Times, May 8, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html.

Awlaki lived in the United States until 2002, when he moved to London before relocating to Yemen as late as 2004.“Anwar al-Awlaki Fast Facts,” CNN, August 23, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/world/meast/anwar-al-awlaki-fast-facts/;
Scott Shane and Souad Mekhennet, “Imam’s Path From Condemning Terror to Preaching Jihad,” New York Times, May 8, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html. He was jailed in Yemeni prison for 18 months between mid-2006 and late 2007 on charges of kidnapping for ransom and plotting alongside al-Qaeda to kidnap a U.S. military attaché.“Treasury Designates Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Key Leader of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 16, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg779.aspx. Soon after his release, Awlaki traveled to his family’s ancestral home in Shabwah province, Yemen, and joined AQAP there a few months later, soon becoming a key leader in the group.Scott Shane, “The Lessons of Anwar al-Awlaki,” New York Times, August 27, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/magazine/the-lessons-of-anwar-al-awlaki.html?_r=0.

As a senior leader of AQAP, Awlaki helped to set the group’s strategic direction, recruit and train operatives, and direct attacks against U.S. interests.“Treasury Designates Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Key Leader of Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 16, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg779.aspx. In the summer of 2009, Awlaki met with Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab—colloquially known as the “underwear bomber”—in Yemen. Awlaki helped Abdulmutallab to film a “martyrdom video,” and instructed him to blow up a civilian airliner above the United States. On Christmas Day, 2009, Abdulmutallab carried out the failed attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit.“United States of America. v. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,” United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, September 10, 2012, 12-14, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/documents/umar-farouk-abdul-mutallab-sentence-brief.pdf;
David Ariosto and Deborah Feyerick, “Christmas Day Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison,” CNN, February 17, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/justice/michigan-underwear-bomber-sentencing/.

Awlaki had documented ties to a number of other terrorists. In early 2009, Awlaki was in contact via email with Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army Major who in November 2009 killed 13 soldiers at the Fort Hood military post near Killeen, Texas.“Anwar Awlaki E-Mail Exchange with Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan,” INTELWIRE, July 19, 2012, http://news.intelwire.com/2012/07/the-following-e-mails-between-maj.html. Roughly a year after the attack, Awlaki referred to Hasan as a “hero.”“In quotes: Anwar al-Awlaki,” BBC News, September 30, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15124351. Awlaki was also involved in an October 2010 plot to blow up a U.S. cargo plane flying from Yemen to the United States.“Remarks by the President at the "Change of Office" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ceremony,” The White House, September 30, 2011, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/30/remarks-president-change-office-chairman-joint-chiefs-staff-ceremony. The bomb, disguised as an ink cartridge, was built by AQAP’s chief bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri and was timed to detonate as the plane flew over the eastern seaboard of the United States. The bomb was removed by British police after a tip from Saudi intelligence.Gordon Rayner and Duncan Gardham, “Cargo plane bomb plot: ink cartridge bomb ‘timed to blow up over US,’” Telegraph (London), November 10, 2010, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8124226/Cargo-plane-bomb-plot-ink-cartridge-bomb-timed-to-blow-up-over-US.html. In 2011, Awlaki instructed British citizen Minh Quang Pham to carry out a suicide bombing at London’s Heathrow International Airport. Pham, who trained alongside AQAP in Yemen during the first half of 2011, was arrested by British authorities in June 2012.“Documents in Al Qaeda Case,” New York Times, May 10, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/10/world/middleeast/document-al-qaeda-court-case.html?_r=0;
“Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces The Extradition Of Defendant From United Kingdom For Providing Material Support To, And Receiving Military Training From, Al Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 3, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-extradition-defendant-united-kingdom-providing-material. Despite Awlaki’s principle role in AQAP, at some point in 2010, when AQAP nominated Awlaki as a possible new leader, bin Laden reportedly vetoed the appointment.Peter Bergen, “The Last Days of Osama bin Laden,” Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-days-of-osama-bin-laden-11627657283.

President Barack Obama authorized the killing of Awlaki in April 2010. In defense of the decision to target an American citizen, director of national intelligence Dennis C. Blair told a House hearing that “if we think that direct action will involve killing an American, we get specific permission to do that.”Scott Shane, “U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of American Cleric,” New York Times, April 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/middleeast/07yemen.html?_r=0. In January 2011, Awlaki was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia by a Yemeni court for his connection to the killing of a French engineer in Yemen.“Yemen Sentences Awlaki in Absentia,” Al Jazeera, January 17, 2011, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011117133558339969.html. Awlaki was killed by a U.S. drone strike on September 30, 2011, while traveling between Marib and Jawf provinces in Yemen.Mark Mazzetti, Eric Schmitt, and Robert F. Worth, “Two-Year Manhunt Led to Killing of Awlaki in Yemen,” New York Times, Septmeber 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/anwar-al-awlaki-is-killed-in-yemen.html.

In the announcement of Awlaki’s death, Obama referred to the U.S.-Yemeni terrorist as AQAP’s “director of external operations.”“Remarks by the President at the "Change of Office" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ceremony,” The White House, September 30, 2011, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/30/remarks-president-change-office-chairman-joint-chiefs-staff-ceremony. While Awlaki took a principal role in directing attacks against the United States, his vast collection of propagandizing material—widely available online—directly inspired individuals around the world to carry out attacks, especially in the West. Among Awlaki’s followers was failed bomber Faisal Shahzad, who attempted to detonate a car bomb in Manhattan’s Times Square in May 2010. Shahzad later told investigators that he had been inspired by Awlaki’s online sermons.Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti, “Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Is Linked to Militant Cleric,” New York Times, May 6, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/world/middleeast/07awlaki-.html. Roshonara Choudhry, a British student who stabbed Labor MP Stephen Timms in May 2010 because he had voted in favor of invading Iraq, was also reportedly self-radicalized online by Awlaki’s sermons.Vikram Dodd and Alexandra Topping, “Roshonara Choudhry jailed for life over MP attack,” Guardian (London), November 3, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/nov/03/roshonara-choudhry-jailed-life-attack.

Even after his death, Awlaki’s ideology has motivated homegrown extremists to commit acts of terror. The Tsarnaev brothers, who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013, had watched YouTube videos of Awlaki’s lectures.Scott Shane, “The Lessons of Anwar al-Awlaki,” New York Times, August 27, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/magazine/the-lessons-of-anwar-al-awlaki.html?_r=1;
Ann O’Neill, “The 13^th Juror: The radicalization of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” CNN, March 30, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/us/tsarnaev-13th-juror-jahar-radicalization/;
“United States of America v. Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev a/k/a/ ‘Jahar Tsarni,’” United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, June 27, 2013, http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ma/legacy/2013/06/27/Indictment1.pdf. They also built the pressure cooker bombs used in the attack from instructions in AQAP’s online magazine Inspire, which was founded by Awlaki in 2010.Ian Black, “Inspire magazine: the self-help manual for al-Qaida terrorists,” Guardian (London), May 24, 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/may/24/inspire-magazine-self-help-manual-al-qaida-terrorists;
Sari Horwitz, “Investigators sharpen focus on wife of dead Boston bombing suspect,” Washington Post, May 3, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/investigators-sharpen-focus-on-boston-bombing-suspects-widow/2013/05/03/a2cd9d28-b413-11e2-baf7-5bc2a9dc6f44_story.html. In addition, the Kouachi brothers who carried out the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo were both reported to have met Awlaki in Yemen while training with AQAP.“Kouachi brothers had weapons training in Yemen,” Al Jazeera America, January 11, 2015, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/11/kouachi-france.html.

Awlaki’s radicalizing influence was also apparent in the May 2015 attack on the “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contest in Garland, Texas,Dan Frosch and Ana Campoy, “Mother of Texas Gunman Sought to Keep Son From Extremism,” Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/mother-of-texas-gunman-sought-to-keep-son-from-extremism-1430951298. as well as the December 2015 San Bernardino shootings that killed 14. Following the San Bernardino attack, evidence emerged that one of the perpetrators, Syed Rizwan Farook, had listened to Awlaki’s sermons since at least 2011.“U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: U.S. v. Enrique Marquez, Jr.,” Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, 4, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800606/download;
Adam Nagourney, Richard Perez Pena, and Ian Lovett, “Neighbor of San Bernardino Attackers Faces Terrorism Charges,” New York Times, December 17, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/us/san-bernardino-enrique-marquez-charges-justice-department.html. In the wake of the June 2016 Orlando shootings, it was revealed that shooter Omar Mateen had previously listened to Awlaki’s sermons.Gabe Gutierrez and Erik Ortiz, “Friend Who Told FBI About Orlando Shooter Omar Mateen Saw a ‘Red Flag,’” NBC News, June 21, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/orlando-nightclub-massacre/friend-who-told-fbi-about-orlando-shooter-omar-mateen-saw-n596496.

General Yahya Sarea is the military spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a.k.a. Ansar Allah.“Yemeni Armed Forces: “Compact Structure” Campaign Liberated an Area of 2500 Sq. Kilometers, Killed, Injured or Arrested Thousands of Mercenaries (Video),” Al Manar, February 2, 2020, https://english.almanar.com.lb/930910; “Yemeni Houthis say they fired missile at Saudi Aramco site in Jeddah,” Reuters, November 22, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-aramco-saudi/yemens-houthis-say-attacked-saudi-aramco-facility-in-jeddah-with-rocket-tweet-idUSKBN28308L. The Houthis have waged a series of bloody insurgencies against the Yemeni government since 2004, overthrowing them and seizing power in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa in 2015.Ahmed al-Haj, “Yemen Shiite Rebels Harden Their Protest Demands,” Associated Press, August 25, 2014, https://wtop.com/news/2014/08/yemen-shiite-rebels-harden-their-protest-demands/; Rod Nordland, “Rebels in Yemen Say They Intend to Form a New Government,” New York Times, February 6, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/world/middleeast/yemen-rebels-say-they-will-dissolve-parliament.html?_r=1.

In February 2015, the Iran-backed Houthis took control of Sanaa and expelled the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, drawing protest from the U.N. Security Council.“Yemen’s Houthis Form Own Government in Sanaa,” Al Jazeera, February 6, 2015, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/yemen-houthi-rebels-announce-presidential-council-150206122736448.html. Hadi fled to Aden and rescinded his resignation.Mohammed Ghobari and Mohammed Mukhashaf, “Yemen’s Hadi Flees to Aden and Says He Is Still President,” Reuters, February 21, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/21/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0LP08F20150221. The internationally recognized Yemeni government has since operated from Aden.“Government outraged as Yemen rebels make TV boss ‘ambassador’ to Iran,” National (Abu Dhabi), last updated March 1, 2020, https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/government-outraged-as-yemen-rebels-make-tv-boss-ambassador-to-iran-1.899666. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia launched Operation Decisive Storm in an effort to quash the Houthi coup and reinstate the government of ousted Yemeni President Hadi.“Saudi ‘Decisive Storm’ waged to save Yemen,” Al Arabiya, March 25, 2015, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/26/GCC-states-to-repel-Houthi-aggression-in-Yemen-statement-.html; Nick Thompson and Inez Torre, “Yemen: Who’s joining Saudi Arabia's fight against the Houthis?,” CNN, March 30, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/world/yemen-saudi-coalition-map/.

Sarea began posting on Twitter in November 2018 as the Houthis’ military spokesman and has since claimed credit for and defended numerous Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.Yahya Sarea, Twitter account, accessed January 15, 2021, https://twitter.com/army21ye. Sarea has threatened new attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and any other country participating in the Arab coalition fighting the Houthis.“Houthis threaten to strike ‘sensitive’ sites in Saudi Arabia, UAE,” Xinhua, December 30, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/30/c_138665230.htm. Sarea has also accused the United States of supporting the Arab coalition and arming the Houthis’ enemies.“Saudi Royal Palaces Will Be among Targets of Yemeni Strikes: General Sarea laces,” Al Manar, July 7, 2020, https://english.almanar.com.lb/1082325. He has promised that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia will continue.“Yemeni Houthis say they fired missile at Saudi Aramco site in Jeddah,” Reuters, November 22, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-aramco-saudi/yemens-houthis-say-attacked-saudi-aramco-facility-in-jeddah-with-rocket-tweet-idUSKBN28308L.

Throughout 2021, Sarea continued to claim responsibility for Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia while threatening the Houthis were “prepared to carry out stronger and harsher military attacks in the coming period.”Reuters, Raya Jalabi, Lisa Barrington, and Raya Jalabi, “Yemen’s Houthis warn of stronger attacks after drone strikes on Saudi Arabia,” Reuters, March 25, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-led-coalition-says-it-destroys-several-houthi-drones-launched-kingdom-2021-03-25/; “Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco facilities; no Saudi confirmation,” Reuters, April 12, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/yemens-houthis-say-attacked-saudi-aramco-refineries-jeddah-jubail-no-saudi-2021-04-12/; “Saudis intercept Houthi missile and drones aimed at oil region,” Reuters, September 5, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-led-coalition-foils-missile-attack-oil-region-tv-2021-09-04/. On January 17, 2022, a Houthi drone killed at least three and wounded six others in the UAE. The Houthis claimed the attacks were in response to the “escalation of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression.”“Charbel Mallo and Celine Alkhaldi, “3 killed in suspected Houthi drone attack in Abu Dhabi,” CNN, January 17, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/17/middleeast/uae-abu-dhabi-explosion-drone-houthi-intl/index.html; Rory Jones, “Houthis Attack U.A.E. Again in Threat to Business and Tourism Hub,” Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-a-e-intercepts-two-ballistic-missiles-over-capital-as-gulf-tensions-escalate-11643007328. On January 24, the Houthis launched drones toward Dubai and ballistic missiles toward Abu Dhabi. Sarea called on foreign companies and investors to leave the UAE because “it has become unsafe.” He also claimed the Houthis were ready to “meet escalation with escalation.”Alexander Cornwell and Alaa Swilam, “UAE blocks missiles as Yemen’s Houthis attack region’s business hub,” Reuters, January 24, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uaes-defense-ministry-destroyed-2-houthi-ballistic-missiles-wam-2022-01-24/.

Despite Sarea’s threats, on April 1, 2022, the Houthis and the Saudi-led military agreed to a U.N.-brokered two-month truce. The parties agreed to halt all offensive military air, ground, and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The truce took effect on April 2.Mostafa Salem and Lianne Kolirin, “Saudi-led coalition and Houthis agree on truce in Yemen, raising hopes for the 'start of a better future',” CNN, April 1, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/01/middleeast/yemen-truce-un-intl/index.html; Saeed Al-Batati, “Yemen troops battle new Houthi attacks near Marib,” Arab News, April 9, 2022, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2059456/middle-east. However, on April 13, Yemeni military spokesman Abdo Majali claimed the Houthis committed 1,230 violations of the truce in the Marib, Taiz, Hajjah, Dhale, and Saada provinces. Majali also accused the Houthis of bringing in reinforcements, as well as an additional 40 military vehicles, to the battlefront in Southern Marib.Saeed Al-Batati, “Yemen troops battle new Houthi attacks near Marib,” Arab News, April 9, 2022, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2059456/middle-east; “Houthis Accused of Committing 1,230 Truce Violations on Various Fronts in Yemen,” Asharq Al-Awsat, April 13, 2022, https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3588806/houthis-accused-committing-1230-truce-violations-various-fronts-yemen.

On April 9, 2022, Twitter suspended an account belonging to Sarea for breaching its rules. The social media platform stated it prohibits content “glorifying” acts of violence, including “attacks carried out by terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups.” Sarea’s account, which had been in operation since 2018, reportedly had more than 340,000 followers and was used by Sarea to claim responsibility for the rebels’ attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia as well as any other country participating in the Arab coalition fighting the Houthis. Although Twitter suspended Sarea’s main account, an English-language account in Sarea’s name remains active and has 17,000 followers. Additionally, several new Arabic accounts allegedly belonging to Sarea have also been discovered.“Twitter suspends Houthi military spokesman's account,” The National, April 10, 2022, https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/2022/04/10/twitter-suspends-houthi-military-spokesmans-account/.

On October 7, 2023, Iran-backed Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing at least 1,200 people. Israel subsequently launched airstrikes and a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.Lauren Frayer, “Israel revises down its death toll from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks to about 1,200,” NPR, November 11, 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212458974/israel-revises-death-toll-hamas-attacks-oct-7; Ibrahim Dahman and Abeer Salman, “Hamas announces ‘Al-Aqsa Storm,’ claims to have fired 5,000 rockets,” CNN, October 7, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/al-aqsa-storm-militants-infiltrate-israel-after-gaza-rockets-10-07-intl-hnk/h_644aa5e5d02286051f5cc307e229566a. The Houthis joined other Iranian proxies in targeting Israel and U.S. interests in the region.“Iran’s allies in Iraq, Yemen threaten U.S. over intervention in Israel,” Reuters, October 10, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/senior-iraqi-political-figure-threatens-target-us-interests-if-it-backs-israel-2023-10-10/. Sarea called the attacks a response to “Israeli aggression” and part of the Houthis’ support for the Palestinian people.Jessie Yeung, Hamdi Alkhshali, and Kyle Blaine, “Israel says it thwarted aerial attacks by Yemen’s Houthis near Red Sea,” CNN, November 1, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/01/middleeast/israel-says-it-thwarted-attacks-from-yemens-houthis-intl-hnk/index.html; “Yemen’s Houthis say they launched missiles, drones at Israel,” Reuters, October 31, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-warns-possible-hostile-aircraft-near-red-sea-city-eilat-2023-10-31/. On November 30, Sarea wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the Houthis would continue to block Israeli ships in the Red Sea and stop only when Israel ends its war with Hamas in Gaza.Yahya Sarea, Twitter post, November 30, 2023, 3:45 p.m., https://twitter.com/Yahya_Saree/status/1730327318336258133. Following a December 3 Houthi attack on at least two shipping vessels in the Red Sea, Sarea renewed the Houthi warning that “all Israeli ships or those associated with Israelis” were legitimate targets.Jon Gambrell, “3 commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, US warship downs 3 drones,” Associated Press, last updated December 4, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-yemen-ships-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-716770f0a780160e9abed98d3c48fbde.

The Houthis continued their attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes into 2024. On February 18, the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at the Belize-flagged and British-owned bulk carrier MV Rubymar in the Red Sea, forcing the crew to abandon ship after one of the missiles struck the vessel. Sarea issued a statement claiming the Houthis fired “a number of missiles” at the vessel, causing severe damage and bringing the ship to a “complete halt” while leaving it “at risk of sinking.”“‘The attack on the ship appeared to be one of the Houthis’ most damaging.,” New York Times, February 20, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/19/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news/houthi-ship-crew-rubymar. Sarea warned that the Houthis “will not hesitate to take more military measures” against “all hostile targets in defense of beloved Yemen and in confirmation of the position of support for the Palestinian people.”“‘The attack on the ship appeared to be one of the Houthis’ most damaging.,” New York Times, February 20, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/19/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news/houthi-ship-crew-rubymar. The damage to the Rubymar caused it to completely sank on March 2, making it the first ship to sink from a Houthi attack.Mohammad Ghobari, “Ship sunk by Houthis threatens Red Sea environment, Yemen government and US military say,” Reuters, March 2, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/freighter-rubymar-has-sunk-red-sea-yemen-internationally-recognised-government-2024-03-02/; Eleanor Watson, “Ship sunk by Houthis likely responsible for damaging 3 telecommunications cables under Red Sea,” CBS News, March 6, 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houthis-ship-cutting-red-sea-telecommunications-cables/. After the Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles toward the Liberian-flagged, Singapore-owned container ship Pinocchio in the Red Sea on March 11, Sarea claimed the Houthis struck the vessel, which he described as “American.”“Houthi missiles fired at ship in Red Sea, U.S. military says,” Reuters, March 11, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-target-us-ship-pinocchio-red-sea-2024-03-12/; “U.S. Central Command,” Twitter post, March 11, 2024, 10:32 p.m., https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1767378223237562494. There were no reported injuries or damage from the attack. Afterward, Sarea pledged that the Houthis would increase their operations in the Red Sea during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on March 11.“Houthi missiles fired at ship in Red Sea, U.S. military says,” Reuters, March 11, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-target-us-ship-pinocchio-red-sea-2024-03-12/.

Muhammad Abbatay, better known as Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, is Moroccan national and U.S.-designated leader for al-Qaeda. Al-Maghrebi allegedly is an Iran-based key leader, and the longtime director of al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media arm.“Wanted Information that brings to justice…Muhammad Abbatay (‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi),” Rewards for Justice, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/muhammad_abbatay.html. The U.S. Treasury and U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as a Specially Designated National (SDN) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on January 12, 2021.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/; “Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, January 12, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20210112.

The son-in-law of al-Qaeda co-founder, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Maghrebi allegedly left Morocco in 1996 to study software programming in Cologne, Germany. A few years later, in 1999, al-Maghrebi left Germany for Afghanistan to train at the al-Faruq camp near Kandahar before being pulled from training by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad—the head of both al-Qaeda’s External Operations and Media Committee—and was reassigned to work for al-Qaeda’s Media Committee.Rohan Gunaratna & Anders Nielsen, “Al Qaeda in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Beyond,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, December 30, 2008, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10576100802291568.

Given al-Maghrebi’s software expertise and computer skills, al-Maghrebi quickly became an asset for the group’s Media Committee and eventually took on the role as director of al-Sahab—al-Qaeda’s media arm. Allegedly, after the fall of Afghanistan in 2001, al-Maghrebi fled to Iran but reportedly relocated to Pakistan in 2003.Rohan Gunaratna & Anders Nielsen, “Al Qaeda in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Beyond,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, December 30, 2008, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10576100802291568.

According to documents recovered from the 2011 military operation against Osama bin Laden, al-Maghrebi has been a rising star in al-Qaeda for many years. In 2012, al-Maghrebi began serving as al-Qaeda’s general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan, before relocating to Iran due to years of international counterterrorism pressure. While in Iran, al-Maghrebi became head of al-Qaeda’s External Communications Office where he supervised and coordinated al-Qaeda’s and al-Qaeda’s activities worldwide.“Wanted Information that brings to justice…Muhammad Abbatay (‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi),” Rewards for Justice, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/muhammad_abbatay.html.

On January 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as an SDGT.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/. The same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanction-designated al-Maghrebi as an SDN.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, January 12, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20210112. Additionally, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward for up to $7 million for information regarding al-Maghrebi’s location.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/.

On July 31, 2022, a CIA drone struck and killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan.Idrees Ali, “Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan - U.S. officials,” Reuters, August 1, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/cia-carried-out-drone-strike-afghanistan-us-officials-say-2022-08-01/; Matthew Lee, Nomaan Merchant, Mike Balsamo, and James Laporta“Biden: Drone strike on al-Qaida leader delivered ‘justice,’” Associated Press, August 1, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/ayman-al-zawahri-al-qaida-terrorism-biden-36e5f10256c9bc9972b252849eda91f2. Following Zawahiri’s death, al-Qaeda scholars have suggested that al-Maghrebi could be a potential successor to lead the terror group given his close relationship to Zawahiri as well as his status within al-Qaeda’s senior leadership.Snigdha Choudhury, “Explained: Who Will Be The Next Al-Qaeda Leader And What Is The Process To Pick New Emir,” India, August 4, 2022, https://www.india.com/explainer/explained-who-will-be-the-next-al-qaeda-leader-and-what-is-the-process-to-pick-new-emir-5552869/.

William Luther Pierce was an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist who authored The Turner Diaries, a fictional novel that describes a violent race revolution in the United States that leads to a world war and the extermination of non-white races. The novel has become popular amongst white nationalists and required reading for some groups. The Turner Diaries and Pierce’s other writings inspired multiple violent crimes, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 1984 murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg. Pierce died of cancer in 2002 but The Turner Diaries remains a popular and influential work among white nationalists.Christopher Reed, “William Pierce – The ‘theoretician’ of America’s extreme right and author of the book that was claimed to have inspired the Oklahoma City bombing,” Guardian (London), July 25, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/25/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries1.

Pierce promoted the idea that only whites should live in the United States because “white people must have living space exclusive to ourselves if the white race is to survive.”David Cay Johnston, “William Pierce, 69, Neo-Nazi Leader, Dies,” New York Times, July 24, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/us/william-pierce-69-neo-nazi-leader-dies.html. He blamed the Jewish-controlled media for any negative reactions to his positions. After Pierce’s death, Kevin Strom, an editor with the National Vanguard publishing company Pierce created, told the New York Times that Pierce was motivated “by a love for his own people, a deep and profound understanding of the danger that people of European descent are in and by a vision of what we could be in the future.”David Cay Johnston, “William Pierce, 69, Neo-Nazi Leader, Dies,” New York Times, July 24, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/us/william-pierce-69-neo-nazi-leader-dies.html.

Pierce was educated as a physicist and taught the subject at universities in the 1960s. In 1965, Pierce joined George Lincoln Rockwell’s American Nazi Party (ANP). After Rockwell’s assassination in 1967, Pierce joined Youth for Wallace in support of segregationist George Wallace’s presidential campaign.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. In 1970, Pierce left the ANP and, along with Willis Carto, transitioned Youth for Wallace into the white supremacist youth organization National Youth Alliance. Pierce created National Alliance in 1974 after a falling out with Carto.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. National Alliance sought to encourage a violent white revolution that would create an all-white America through ethnic cleansing.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. In 1998, the Anti-Defamation League labeled National Alliance “the single most dangerous organized hate group in America.”Jo Thomas, “Behind a Book That Inspired McVeigh,” New York Times, June 9, 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/09/us/behind-a-book-that-inspired-mcveigh.html. By 2001, National Alliance’s membership had increased to more than 2,000.Jo Thomas, “Behind a Book That Inspired McVeigh,” New York Times, June 9, 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/09/us/behind-a-book-that-inspired-mcveigh.html.

Through National Alliance, Pierce published a newspaper called Attack! In this paper, Pierce began writing a serialized story about a future race war. In 1978, Pierce self-published the stories as The Turner Diaries under the pseudonym Andrew MacDonald. The book is a historical retelling of the fictional race war through the diary entries of protagonist Early Turner.Christopher Reed, “William Pierce – The ‘theoretician’ of America’s extreme right and author of the book that was claimed to have inspired the Oklahoma City bombing,” Guardian (London), July 25, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/25/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries1. National Alliance labeled The Turner Diaries a “Handbook for White Victory.”“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. Former White Patriot Party leader Glenn Miller claimed he handed out some 800 free copies of the book during his tenure with the group. The leaders of The Order, a National Alliance spinoff group, reportedly kept at least 20 copies at their headquarters.Katheen Belew, Bring the War Home (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2018), 110. The Turner Diaries has reportedly sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and serves as a guide for white nationalists seeking to attack infrastructure in order to create a white nation-state within the United States.Katheen Belew, Bring the War Home (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2018), 110-113.

In 1978, a group of National Alliance members formed the Cosmotheist Community Church around the pseudo-religion Cosmotheism, a derivative of Pantheism.“What is the National Alliance?” National Alliance, accessed January 4, 2018, https://natall.com/about/what-is-the-national-alliance/. According to Pierce, the church grew out of a weekly religious discussion group that began meeting in 1974. Cosmotheism dictates that man and God are part of the same whole and both are meant to achieve self-realization. According to Pierce, man is both an agent of and part of the creator. In 1984, the church bought a 360-acre site in West Virginia and set up a compound where it encouraged faithful to move.Bradford Hanson, “William Pierce’s Original Prospectus for the Cosmotheist Community,” National Vanguard, December 2, 2017, https://nationalvanguard.org/2017/12/william-pierces-original-prospectus-for-the-cosmotheist-community/.

In 1983, Pierce left his wife and twin sons and moved to Hillsboro, West Virginia. There, he created the National Vanguard Books publishing house and later Resistance Records, reportedly the largest publisher of hate records in the world. As of Pierce’s death in 2002, the companies reportedly sold $1 million worth of neo-Nazi books and CDs per year.Dennis Roddy, “Hate was in his blood but not in his genes,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 28, 2002, http://old.post-gazette.com/columnists/20020828roddy4.asp; David Cay Johnston, “William Pierce, 69, Neo-Nazi Leader, Dies,” New York Times, July 24, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/us/william-pierce-69-neo-nazi-leader-dies.html. From his compound in West Virginia, Pierce broadcast a radio show called American Dissident Voices. The show began on shortwave radio but several AM band stations reportedly picked it up.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. Recordings on the show remain available online.

In 1989, Pierce wrote Hunter, about a man who kills interracial couples in order to spark a race war. Hunter has reportedly sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.David Cay Johnston, “William Pierce, 69, Neo-Nazi Leader, Dies,” New York Times, July 24, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/us/william-pierce-69-neo-nazi-leader-dies.html. Pierce dedicated the book to the novel’s inspiration, white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin, who murdered at least seven people, blew up a synagogue, and famously shot pornographer Larry Flynt during a killing spree in the 1970s and ’80s. Franklin was executed in 2013.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce; “Joseph Franklin, white supremacist serial killer, executed,” BBC News, November 20, 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-25016217.

The Turner Diaries has inspired numerous acts of violence and terrorism. It was reportedly a favorite book of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people. McVeigh reportedly sold The Turner Diaries at gun shows.Katheen Belew, Bring the War Home (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2018), 110. Police found a copy of the book in his car after his arrest. The book describes a truck bomb blowing up the FBI headquarters, which prosecutors called a “blue print” for the Oklahoma City bombing.Christopher Reed, “William Pierce – The ‘theoretician’ of America’s extreme right and author of the book that was claimed to have inspired the Oklahoma City bombing,” Guardian (London), July 25, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/25/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries1; Jo Thomas, “Behind a Book That Inspired McVeigh,” New York Times, June 9, 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/09/us/behind-a-book-that-inspired-mcveigh.html. Weeks before McVeigh’s execution in 2001, Pierce called the bomber “a man of principle” who was “willing to accept the consequences” of what he did.Jo Thomas, “Behind a Book That Inspired McVeigh,” New York Times, June 9, 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/09/us/behind-a-book-that-inspired-mcveigh.html.

In 1983, National Alliance Pacific Northwest leader Robert Mathews formed the splinter group The Order with other National Alliance members.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. The group called for a violent race revolution as described in The Turner Diaries. The Order named outspoken, Jewish Denver-based radio host Alan Berg as their first target. Mathews, Bruce Pierce, and two others shot Berg to death outside his Denver home on June 18, 1984.Andrea Dukakis, “Murder Of Colorado Radio Man Alan Berg Still Resonates 30 Years Later,” Colorado Public Radio, June 18, 2014, http://www.cpr.org/news/story/murder-colorado-radio-man-alan-berg-still-resonates-30-years-later. Pierce was allegedly carrying the book with him at the time of his arrest.Katheen Belew, Bring the War Home (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2018), 110. According to Berg’s radio producer, The Order targeted him because he had derided “their ridiculous beliefs that the Jews were mud people and the spawn of Satan.”Howard Pankrantz, “Neo-Nazi who shot Denver radio host Alan Berg dies in federal prison in Pa.,” Denver Post, August 17, 2010, https://www.denverpost.com/2010/08/17/neo-nazi-who-shot-denver-radio-host-alan-berg-dies-in-federal-prison-in-pa/. Mathews died in a firefight with the FBI later that year while the other three were sentenced to prison. William Pierce reportedly praised Mathews for taking “us from name-calling to bloodletting.”“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce; Howard Pankrantz, “Neo-Nazi who shot Denver radio host Alan Berg dies in federal prison in Pa.,” Denver Post, August 17, 2010, https://www.denverpost.com/2010/08/17/neo-nazi-who-shot-denver-radio-host-alan-berg-dies-in-federal-prison-in-pa/. On June 7, 1998, white supremacists Shawn Allen Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John William King murdered black man James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas. King reportedly declared, “We’re starting The Turner Diaries early.”“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce; “Closing arguments today in Texas dragging-death trial,” CNN, February 22, 1999, http://www.cnn.com/US/9902/22/dragging.death.03/.

Pierce died of cancer on July 23, 2002.Christopher Reed, “William Pierce – The ‘theoretician’ of America’s extreme right and author of the book that was claimed to have inspired the Oklahoma City bombing,” Guardian (London), July 25, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/25/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries1. Shortly after Pierce’s death, National Alliance named Erich Gliebe as his successor. Without Pierce, however, the group fractured. By 2009, National Alliance reportedly had fewer than 100 members.“William Pierce,” Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed January 2, 2019, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/william-pierce. In 2013, Gliebe announced the group’s dissolution. In response, former members William White Williams and Kevin Alfred Strom reformed the National Alliance and rededicated it to Pierce’s philosophies.“What is the National Alliance?” National Alliance, accessed January 4, 2019, https://natall.com/about/what-is-the-national-alliance/. Pierce’s National Vanguard media company continues to publish books, radio programs, and other media, as well as republishing Pierce’s writings.National Vanguard homepage, accessed January 4, 2019, https://nationalvanguard.org/. The National Alliance is also constructing a library in Tennessee dedicated to Pierce.Kevin Alfred Strom and William White Williams, “Progress: The William Luther Pierce Memorial Library and Research Center,” National Vanguard, January 5, 2019, https://nationalvanguard.org/2019/01/progress-the-william-luther-pierce-memorial-library-and-research-center/.

James Mason is an American neo-Nazi author and acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson. Mason’s 1992 book Siege, an anthology of violent pro-Nazi and pro-Manson essays he wrote in the 1980s, has inspired a generation of neo-Nazis who have formed an online subculture devoted to the promotion of Mason, his writings, and Manson.Alexander Epp and Roman Höfner, “The Hate Network,” Der Spiegel, August 25, 2018, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/index-2018-35.html; A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group.

George Lincoln Rockwell founded the American Nazi Party (ANP) in 1959.“1967: ‘American Hitler’ shot dead,” BBC News, accessed December 19, 2018, http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/25/newsid_3031000/3031928.stm. Mason joined the ANP in the 1960s at the age of 14. Two years later, he dropped out of school to work at the ANP headquarters in Virginia.“Guide to the James N. Mason Collection – Papers of James N. Mason,” Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, accessed December 19, 2018, http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.masonjames.xml. In 1969, the National Socialist Liberation Front (NSLF) splintered off from the ANP, which had collapsed after Rockwell’s 1967 assassination. Mason joined the NSLF and embraced its calls for political terrorism.Alexander Epp and Roman Höfner, “The Hate Network,” Der Spiegel, August 25, 2018, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/index-2018-35.html; A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group. During this time, Mason also formed a relationship with cult leader and convicted murderer Charles Manson. In the 1970s, Mason formed the Universal Order movement with Manson, who designed the movement’s logo, a swastika imposed over scales of justice. Mason wrote of his admiration for Manson and praised him as “a great leader/philosopher.”Matt Lebovic, “Inside ‘Atomwaffen,’ where Blaze Bernstein’s alleged killer trained for race war,” Times of Israel, January 29, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/inside-atomwaffen-where-blaze-bernsteins-alleged-killer-trained-for-race-war/; Adam Lusher, “Charles Manson: Neo-Nazis hail serial killer a visionary and try to resurrect fascist movement created on his orders,” Independent (London), November 20, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charles-manson-death-dead-serial-killer-neo-nazis-resurrect-fascist-movement-cult-family-universal-a8065781.html. Referring to Manson as “the highest authority,” Mason credited the cult leader with directly inspiring Mason to form the movement and creating the name Universal Order.Adam Lusher, “Charles Manson: Neo-Nazis hail serial killer a visionary and try to resurrect fascist movement created on his orders,” Independent (London), November 20, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charles-manson-death-dead-serial-killer-neo-nazis-resurrect-fascist-movement-cult-family-universal-a8065781.html.

Nonetheless, Mason remained involved with the NSLF. In 1980, he took over responsibility for writing and editing the NSLF’s monthly newsletter, “Siege.” Though the NSLF disbanded in 1982, Mason continued to publish “Siege” through 1986, promoting pro-Nazi and pro-Manson ideologies.“Guide to the James N. Mason Collection – Papers of James N. Mason,” Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, accessed December 19, 2018, http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.masonjames.xml; A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group. In 1992, Mason compiled the newsletters into an eponymous book.“Guide to the James N. Mason Collection – Papers of James N. Mason,” Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, accessed December 19, 2018, http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.masonjames.xml. The book promotes the creation of autonomous terror cells fighting a guerilla war against “the system” under the common banner of the White Liberation Front. Mason praises the Manson Family murders and Dan White—who murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and gay rights leader Harvey Milk—as “direct action.”A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group; Adam Lusher, “Charles Manson: Neo-Nazis hail serial killer a visionary and try to resurrect fascist movement created on his orders,” Independent (London), November 20, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charles-manson-death-dead-serial-killer-neo-nazis-resurrect-fascist-movement-cult-family-universal-a8065781.html. The second chapter of Siege focuses on violent revolution and political terrorism, while other chapters glorify Manson and Adolf Hitler.James Mason, Siege (2015: IronMarch.org), https://ia800604.us.archive.org/26/items/SiegeByJamesMason/Siege-by-James-Mason.pdf.

In 1994, Mason moved to Colorado where he was arrested and subsequently imprisoned on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor stemming from a relationship he had with a 14-year-old girl in Ohio. Mason was imprisoned for three years and then again shortly after his release for parole violations.“Guide to the James N. Mason Collection – Papers of James N. Mason,” Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, accessed December 19, 2018, http://etext.ku.edu/view?docId=ksrlead/ksrl.kc.masonjames.xml; Jake Hanrahan, Twitter post, April 21, 2018, 7:40 p.m., https://twitter.com/jake_hanrahan/status/987838629627289600?lang=en; Jeffrey Kaplan ed., Encyclopedia of White Power: A Sourcebook on the Radical Racist Right (Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 2000), 193-199.

Mason’s writing garnered little attention and he remained out of the public eye after his incarceration. But in 2015, a group of users on the now-defunct fascist web forum IronMarch discovered Siege and began to promote it on the forum.A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “California Murder Suspect Said to Have Trained With Extremist Hate Group,” ProPublica, January 26, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/california-murder-suspect-atomwaffen-division-extremist-hate-group. These members formed the Atomwaffen Division (AWD), a virulent neo-Nazi network suspected in multiple U.S. murders. AWD openly embraces Nazi and satanic imagery and rhetoric based on Mason’s Nazi beliefs and fealty to the late cult leader Charles Manson.A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “California Murder Suspect Said to Have Trained With Extremist Hate Group,” ProPublica, January 26, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/california-murder-suspect-atomwaffen-division-extremist-hate-group; Kelly Weill, “Satanism Drama Is Tearing Apart the Murderous Neo-Nazi Group Atomwaffen,” Daily Beast, March 21, 2018, https://www.thedailybeast.com/satanism-drama-is-tearing-apart-the-murderous-neo-nazi-group-atomwaffen; Sonneinkreig Division, Gab account, accessed August 16, 2018, https://gab.ai/skd; “Worldview,” Universal Order, accessed August 16, 2018, http://siegeculture.biz/worldview/. In 2015, AWD members republished Mason’s book online.Jessica Schulberg and Luke O’Brien, “We Found The Neo-Nazi Twitter Account Tied To A Virginia Double Homicide,” Huffington Post, last updated January 5, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nicholas-giampa-neo-nazi-teenager-murder-girlfriends-parents-virginia_us_5a4d0797e4b0b0e5a7aa4780. In July 2017, a group of IronMarch users claimed they had met with Mason, which led to their creation of a website for Mason’s writings called Universal Order at https://siegeculture.biz/. The group included a user nicknamed Rape, the pseudonym of AWD’s reported leader, John Cameron Denton.James Poulter, “The Obscure Neo-Nazi Forum Linked to a Wave of Terror,” Vice News, March 12, 2018, https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/437pkd/the-obscure-neo-nazi-forum-linked-to-a-wave-of-terror. Accused murderer and AWD member Sam Woodward also claimed to have met Mason. AWD chat logs revealed that members frequently praised Mason and posted his writings and picture.A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group. Using Amazon’s self-publishing tool CreateSpace, AWD has republished Siege and published new Mason writings, which they sell through Amazon.Alexander Epp and Roman Höfner, “The Hate Network,” Der Spiegel, August 25, 2018, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/index-2018-35.html.

The Siege Culture/Universal Order website.

So-called Siege Culture has developed into an online subculture of its own based on the Universal Order website and social media dedicated to Mason’s writings. The Siege Culture/Universal Order website is dedicated to Mason and his Universal Order movement. It includes links to a version of Siege on the Internet Archive and hosts essays by Mason, his Siegecast podcast, and links to various other neo-Nazi content. Its library includes neo-Nazi and white supremacist literature such as Mein Kampf and The Turner Diaries by William Luther Pierce, as well as books on Satanism, the occult, and fantasy like The Lord of the Rings.Universal Order, accessed December 20, 2018, http://siegeculture.biz/. The Worldview section of the site declares that the page is “something that James Mason attempted to put into form himself, but due to circumstance, he never implemented it. This changed in the year of 2017, when the Atomwaffen Division discovered and met James Mason,” which led to “a new course of action for SIEGE.”“Worldview,” Universal Order, accessed August 16, 2018, http://siegeculture.biz/worldview/. The page administrators deny that Mason runs Universal Order, though he is cited as the author of blog posts and podcasts on the website.“Contact,” Universal Order, accessed August 16, 2018, http://siegeculture.biz/contact/.

The podcast section of Siege Culture/Universal Order, featuring podcasts by James Mason

The library section of Siege Culture/Universal Order, featuring images of Mason and Charles Manson, the Universal Order logo designed by Manson, and pro-Nazi, white supremacist, and fantasy literature.

In addition to the website, Mason’s followers have created Twitter, YouTube, and other social media accounts.SIEGE Culture Gab account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://gab.ai/SIEGECulture; SIEGE Culture Twitter account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://twitter.com/siegeculture_?lang%3Den; SIEGEWAVE YouTube account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3oRnYKTvOHg5hyFuC-RCWA; Read SIEGE YouTube account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdh4N2bPSIWn5Bbfyc8bIVQ. As of December 20, 2018, the Read Siege YouTube channel hosted 48 videos and has received more than 25,000 views since its creation in 2017.Read SIEGE YouTube account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdh4N2bPSIWn5Bbfyc8bIVQ. The SIEGE Culture Twitter account had 650 followers as of the same date.SIEGE Culture Twitter account, accessed December 20, 2018, https://twitter.com/siegeculture_?lang%3Den.

The Read SIEGE YouTube channel.

In line with Mason’s racist, violent ideology, AWD members have been linked to at least five U.S. murders since 2017. Among the most prominent was the January 2018 murder of gay, Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein, allegedly by AWD member Sam Woodward.A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student,” ProPublica, last updated August 3, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group; A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan, “California Murder Suspect Said to Have Trained With Extremist Hate Group,” ProPublica, January 26, 2018, https://www.propublica.org/article/california-murder-suspect-atomwaffen-division-extremist-hate-group. In December 2018, the FBI arrested Washington state white supremacist Dakota Reed after he made several posts on Twitter threatening violence against Jews and Muslims. Reed also posted about Siege.“Washington White Supremacist Arrested for Threatening Mass Killings of Jews and other Minorities,” Anti-Defamation League, December 17, 2018, https://www.adl.org/blog/washington-white-supremacist-arrested-for-threatening-mass-killings-of-jews-and-other. Suspected AWD member Nicholas Giampa, who allegedly killed his girlfriend’s parents in December 2017, praised Siege, Adolf Hitler, and anti-Semitic violence on Twitter.Jessica Schulberg and Luke O’Brien, “We Found The Neo-Nazi Twitter Account Tied To A Virginia Double Homicide,” Huffington Post, January 4, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nicholas-giampa-neo-nazi-teenager-murder-girlfriends-parents-virginia_us_5a4d0797e4b0b0e5a7aa4780.

Mason continues to author blog posts and host podcasts on the Universal Order website. AWD leader Denton claims he owns the distribution rights to Mason’s writings and that Mason “passed the torch to us.”Alexander Epp and Roman Höfner, “The Hate Network,” Der Spiegel, August 25, 2018, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/index-2018-35.html.

On February 26, 2020, federal authorities arrested Denton in Montgomery, Texas, for his alleged role in multiple swatting conspiracies. Swatting is a harassment tactic that involves misleading dispatchers with information on an imminent threat in a specific location, leading authorities to respond in full force, including a SWAT team response.“Two men arrested in Montgomery County linked to hate group with history of violence,” KHOU 11, February 26, 2020, https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/hate-group-based-in-montgomery-county-has-history-of-violence/285-d08cc091-c237-4df3-9a43-5df9fbad91c1; “Former Atomwaffen Division Leader Arrested for Swatting Conspiracy,” U.S. Department of Justice, February 26, 2020, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/former-atomwaffen-division-leader-arrested-swatting-conspiracy. Four other AWD members were also arrested for sending anti-Semitic and racist threats to journalists.Tess Owen, “The FBI Just Arrested a Bunch of Neo-Nazi Atomwaffen Members,” Vice, February 26, 2020, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bvgy9a/the-fbi-just-arrested-a-bunch-of-neo-nazi-atomwaffen-members. On March 9, 2020, an alleged audio recording by Mason announced AWD would immediately disband due to increasing pressure from legal authorities. Mason further declared that anything found on the Internet in the future claiming to be from AWD was fake. Vice confirmed the authenticity of the message with multiple sources familiar with Mason’s voice.Ben Makuch, “Audio Recording Claims Neo-Nazi Terror Group Is Disbanding,” Vice, March 14, 2020, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdnam/audio-recording-claims-neo-nazi-terror-group-is-disbanding.

On June 25, 2021, Canada added Mason to its list of designated terrorist entities. Mason is only the second individual to be added to Canada’s list, after Canada designated Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in 2005. According to the Canadian government, Mason was designated for providing ideological and tactical instruction on how to operate a terrorist group to listed entities, i.e., Atomwaffen Division.“Government of Canada lists four new terrorist entities,” Public Safety Canada, June 25, 2021, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2021/06/government-of-canada-lists-four-new-terrorist-entities.html; “Currently Listed Entities,” Public Safety Canada, accessed June 25, 2021, https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx.

On July 25, 2020, a group of former AWD leaders announced the reorganization of AWD into the National Socialist Order (NSO). NSO leaders claimed they learned from the mistakes of AWD, pointing to a lack of ideological cohesion. The NSO leaders further claimed they had built the NSO with a new leadership dedicated to creating an “Aryan, National Socialist world by any means necessary.”“National Socialist Order Announcement!,” American Futurist, July 25, 2020. NSO announced itself on the newly created American Futurist website. The website’s language mirrors that previously found on the Siege Culture website, the now-defunct site administered by Iron March members that hosted Mason’s writings. The site’s administrators claim the site is not a reorganization of AWD or any other group. According to the site’s administrators, its purpose is to “spread the message and ideas of James Mason” and American Futurism,“About Us,” American Futurist, accessed January 6, 2021. which they define as “Fascism based on Anti-Tradition; or, to put it better, anti-modern Jew-influenced traditions.”Texas Pete, “Why Do We Call Ourselves American Futurists?,” American Futurist, May 18, 2020.

AWD seemingly reorganized on November 8, 2021, when a self-proclaimed group of former AWD members posted an announcement on the National Socialist/fascist website Das Paradies of an AWD revival to provide guidance to the broader fascist movement. The announcement called Mason’s March 2020 statement disbanding AWD “now officially defunct” and “nothing more than a bad memory.”“Atomwaffen Division Reactivation,” Das Paradies, November 8, 2021. The posting also emphasized AWD and NSO are separate organizations.“Atomwaffen Division Reactivation,” Das Paradies, November 8, 2021. A November 9 post on the American Futurist site condemned the new AWD and announced the American Futurist and Mason no longer supported Das Paradies. According to the post, Mason was furious about the new AWD. American Futurist editor-in-chief “Texas Pete” claimed the new AWD was run by a former member and an associate of AWD founder Brandon Russell, but Russell was not involved. American Futurist editors allegedly helped build the Das Paradies website, which its founders had promoted as a survivalism and camping website. According to Texas Pete, the Das Paradies founders misrepresented themselves to American Futurist and Mason to get their endorsement.Texas Pete, “Atomwaffen Returns?,” American Futurist November 9, 2021. The same day, the new AWD announced on Das Paradies it was severing ties with the NSO, American Futurist, Mason, and Russell. According to the November 9 AWD announcement, “AWD can NEVER be disbanded again by ANYONE. Anyone trying to claim that the Atomwaffen Division is disbanded or fake is nothing more than a coward trying to hinder our efforts.”Atomwaffen Division, “Cutting Ties,” Das Paradies, November 9, 2021.

On November 12, the American Futurist released a video of Mason condemning the new AWD as a “stupid action on the part of one lone nut” that threatened to put other former AWD members in legal jeopardy from “the enemy government.”“James Mason Denouncement Video,” 12:02, Odysee video, posted by “The American Futurist Official,” November 12, 2021. Mason condemned “the enemy media” for spreading the “lie” of a new AWD.“James Mason Denouncement Video,” 12:02, Odysee video, posted by “The American Futurist Official,” November 12, 2021. He reiterated that AWD had retired “with all honor” in 2020 and it would continue to live in legend like the American Nazi Party and the National Socialist Liberation Front.“James Mason Denouncement Video,” 12:02, Odysee video, posted by “The American Futurist Official,” November 12, 2021.

In January 2022, members of the new AWD joined members of The Base for a winter survival training exercise. According to The Base, participants shared their “knowledge of bushcraft and lifted one another up to new heights ultimately increasing our capabilities as a cohesive unit and as brothers in arms.”The Base, Telegram channel, January 30, 2022. American Futurist severed ties with the NSO on September 7, 2022. Its announcement accused “bad actors” of taking over the organization on behalf of the British neo-Nazi Satanist group the Order of the Nine Angles (ONA or O9A) and promoting “Satanism and Child Rape.”“Breaking Ties with the NSO,” American Futurist, September 7, 2022. According to the American Futurist, these bad actors attempted to remove NSO co-founder Ryan Arthur because of his opposition to Satanism. The American Futurist declared the NSO to be “dead.”“Breaking Ties with the NSO,” American Futurist, September 7, 2022. On September 12, Arthur announced on the American Futurist site that a group of former NSO members had created a new organization, the National Socialist Resistance Front (NSRF).“The Founding of the NSRF,” American Futurist, September 12, 2022. The following month, on October 30, American Futurist announced it was severing ties with Mason. According to the announcement, Mason had accused Arthur of purposefully not uploading Mason’s content, stealing, lying, and other misdeeds. Allegedly the issues began in April 2022. American Futurist leaders claimed they disproved all of Mason’s accusations against Ryan. A few weeks later, American Futurist leaders discovered an alleged affair between Mason and the wife of an NSO member. American Futurist leaders decided at that point to begin drawing down their focus on Mason’s works, while not entirely severing their relationship with Mason.Texas Pete, “James Mason: The Fall,” American Futurist, October 30, 2022.

According to the American Futurist statement, Mason had begun making negative, false statements about “AWD heroes” Cameron Denton and Kaleb Cole, blaming them for “almost getting him in trouble” and accusing them of almost causing him to go back to prison.Texas Pete, “James Mason: The Fall,” American Futurist, October 30, 2022. According to the American Futurist, returning to prison as one of Mason’s greatest fears. The October 30 announcement also accused Mason working with a former NSO member named Zackary, a.k.a. “Wulfrik,” to build a new website without his supporters at American Futurist. The announcement further accused Wulfrik of being a known pedophile who had been expelled from NSO prior to its takeover by ONA. As a result, the American Futurist announced it would continue to sell and promote Siege but would sever its relations with Mason. The American Futurist declared it was time to “move away from” Mason and the “cult of personality” his followers had built around him.Texas Pete, “James Mason: The Fall,” American Futurist, October 30, 2022. The announcement did not address the future of the NSRF.

Jasimuddin Rahmani is a Bangladeshi radical Islamist cleric and spiritual leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a banned terrorist organization in Bangladesh.Vidhi Doshi, “Authorities in Bangladesh say Manhattan bombing suspect was self-radicalized,” Washington Post, December 13, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/authorities-in-bangladesh-say-manhattan-bomber-wasself-radicalized/2017/12/13/b58cebb8-debf-11e7-b2e9-8c636f076c76_story.html. In February 2013, a secular activist and blogger was killed by a group of students in a machete attack in Dhaka. Two other bloggers were murdered in a similar manner in the subsequent months.Geeta Anand and Julfikar Ali Manik, “Bangladesh Says It Now Knows Who’s Killing the Bloggers,” New York Times, June 8, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/world/asia/bangladesh-killings-bloggers.html; Agence France-Presse, “Two sentenced to death for Bangladesh blogger murder,” Guardian, December 31, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/two-sentenced-death-bangladesh-blogger-ahmed-rajib-haider. ABT was implicated in the attacks, and the students involved were allegedly inspired by Rahmani’s sermons, which called for the deaths of individuals opposed to Islam.“Bangladesh bans Islamist group accused of blogger attacks,” BBC News, May 25, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32879662; Geeta Anand and Julfikar Ali Manik, “Bangladesh Says It Now Knows Who’s Killing the Bloggers,” New York Times, June 8, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/world/asia/bangladesh-killings-bloggers.html; Agence France-Presse, “Two sentenced to death for Bangladesh blogger murder,” Guardian, December 31, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/two-sentenced-death-bangladesh-blogger-ahmed-rajib-haider; Jufilkar Ali Manik, “Preaching militancy, building network,” Daily Star (Dhaka), August 14, 2013, http://www.thedailystar.net/news/preaching-militancy-building-network. Rahmani was arrested in August 2013 and convicted in December 2015 for his role in inciting the murders.Jufilkar Ali Manik, “Preaching militancy, building network,” Daily Star (Dhaka), August 14, 2013, http://www.thedailystar.net/news/preaching-militancy-building-network; “Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others,” Daily Star (Dhaka), November 9, 2016, http://www.thedailystar.net/city/court-accepts-charges-against-abt-chief-9-others-1311745. He was sentenced to five years in prison.“Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others,” Daily Star (Dhaka), November 9, 2016, http://www.thedailystar.net/city/court-accepts-charges-against-abt-chief-9-others-1311745.

Reportedly inspired by the teachings of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, Rahmani began to propagate his own radical views in Bangladesh since at least 2007, through speeches, publications, and online communications. Around 2008, he began to construct a radical Islamist network called the Ansurallah Bangla Team (ABT) that operated in small cells across the country. ABT’s membership was reportedly largely composed of wealthy university students, and the group’s ultimate objective was to establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh.Jufilkar Ali Manik, “Preaching militancy, building network,” Daily Star (Dhaka), August 14, 2013, http://www.thedailystar.net/news/preaching-militancy-building-network. In addition to organizing and leading ABT, Rahmani was also a leader at a mosque in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.Agence France-Presse, “Two sentenced to death for Bangladesh blogger muder,” Guardian, December 31, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/two-sentenced-death-bangladesh-blogger-ahmed-rajib-haider.

On February 15, 2013, Ahmed Rajib Haider, a secular activist and blogger critical of Islamic fundamentalism was hacked to death with a machete by a group of students from North South University in Dhaka. Two more so-called “atheist bloggers” were killed in a similar manner in the following two months. The assailants had regularly listened to Rahmani speak at their local mosque, and had allegedly been inspired by his sermons. During his sermons, Rahmani had decreed a fatwa on bloggers who criticized Islam, preaching that it was legal––and necessary––for them to be killed.Geeta Anand and Julfikar Ali Manik, “Bangladesh Says It Now Knows Who’s Killing the Bloggers,” New York Times, June 8, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/world/asia/bangladesh-killings-bloggers.html; Agence France-Presse, “Two sentenced to death for Bangladesh blogger murder,” Guardian, December 31, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/two-sentenced-death-bangladesh-blogger-ahmed-rajib-haider; Jufilkar Ali Manik, “Preaching militancy, building network,” Daily Star (Dhaka), August 14, 2013, http://www.thedailystar.net/news/preaching-militancy-building-network.

On August 12, 2013, Rahmani and 30 of his followers were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killings.Jufilkar Ali Manik, “Preaching militancy, building network,” Daily Star (Dhaka), August 14, 2013, http://www.thedailystar.net/news/preaching-militancy-building-network. On December 31, 2015, Rahmani was found guilty of inciting the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider through his radical sermons and was sentenced to five years in prison.“Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others,” Daily Star (Dhaka), November 9, 2016, http://www.thedailystar.net/city/court-accepts-charges-against-abt-chief-9-others-1311745. Investigations implicated ABT in all three of the murders, and on May 25, 2015, Bangladesh officially banned the group.“Bangladesh bans Islamist group accused of blogger attacks,” BBC News, May 25, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32879662.

On November 8, 2016, additional charges were filed against Rahmani under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act for planning to take control of territory and wage violent jihad in the country.“Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others,” Daily Star (Dhaka), November 9, 2016, http://www.thedailystar.net/city/court-accepts-charges-against-abt-chief-9-others-1311745.

Akayed Ullah, the Bangladeshi U.S. immigrant who carried out an attempted suicide bombing in a New York City subway passageway on December 11, 2017, was reportedly inspired in part by the writings and online sermons of Rahmani.Tracy Connor, “Akayed Ullah hears charges in NYC subway bombing from hospital bed,” NBC News, December 13, 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-hears-charges-nyc-subway-bombing-hospital-bed-n829346; Vidhi Doshi, “Authorities in Bangladesh say Manhattan bombing suspect was self-radicalized,” Washington Post, December 13, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/authorities-in-bangladesh-say-manhattan-bomber-wasself-radicalized/2017/12/13/b58cebb8-debf-11e7-b2e9-8c636f076c76_story.html.

John Georgelas is an American convert to Islam who traveled to Syria to fight for ISIS in 2013 and became “the most important and prominent American” in the group, according to Graeme Wood, writing for the Atlantic.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/; Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS: An Update,” Atlantic, December 16, 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/12/american-leader-islamic-state-update/510998/. Before joining ISIS, he amassed a following from his extensive scholarly writings on jihadist subjects, which he published online. Reportedly close to members of ISIS’s leadership, including former ISIS spokesperson Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, Georgelas allegedly pushed ISIS to declare a caliphate in 2014. Since then, he has become ISIS’s “leading producer of high-end English-language propaganda,” according to the Atlantic, appearing on the group’s Al Bayan radio station and contributing to its English-language magazines, Dabiq and Rumiyah.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

Georgelas was born in December 1983 to an upper-middle-class family in Plano, Texas, although his family moved several times during his childhood because of his father’s military assignments. At eleven years old, he reportedly became interested in religion and joined the Greek Orthodox Church. According to his family, he was a troublemaker in school and drug user. His academic performance was poor, although he graduated from high school and briefly attended community college.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

In November 2001, Georgelas converted to Islam and adopted the name Yahya. One month later, he traveled to Damascus, Syria, to study Arabic. While there, he met some British Muslims who introduced him to jihadism.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/. In March 2003, Georgelas flew to London to meet a Muslim woman named Tania Choudhury with whom he had been communicating online.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/; Barbara Davies, “Has the British beauty who fled her ISIS leader husband for Texas REALLY cut all ties with one of the world's most wanted terrorists?” Daily Mail (London), January 13, 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4118570/Has-British-beauty-fled-ISIS-leader-husband-Texas-REALLY-cut-ties-one-world-s-wanted-terrorists.html. They married days later and settled together in College Station, Texas. The couple also spent time living in Syria, London, and California, throughout the following year. During this time, Georgelas became obsessed with studying and writing about Islamic history, theology, and jihad.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

Georgelas and his wife moved from California back to Texas, where he began working as a data technician at Rackspace. In his spare time, he reportedly frequented jihadist forums online. Around 2006, he reportedly intended to travel to Iraq to wage jihad against American forces, but these plans were thwarted after he attempted to hack the website of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—a client of Rackspace—on April 8, 2006.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.  The FBI arrested Georgelas on April 14 for intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. He pled guilty and was sentenced to 34 months in prison in August.“Former Data Technician at Local Internet Hosting Company and Self-Admitted Supporter of Pro-Jihad Website Sentenced to 34 Months for Attempting to Cause Damage to a Protected Computer,” U.S. Department of Justice, August 15, 2006, https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/txn/PressRel06/georgelas_john_sen_pr.html; Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

Following his release from prison, Georgelas remained under parole until October 2011 and worked as an IT specialist. After his parole expired, he moved to Cairo, Egypt, with his wife and children, where he made a living translating the fatwas of Qatari religious scholars. Georgelas began to amass a global following of extremists who admired his scholarly work, which he promoted online. He operated a website focused on Dhahirism––a semi-obscure literalist form of Islam––where he regularly published his own and others’ extremist rhetoric and held online seminars. According to an acquaintance, he was one of the strongest “pre-ISIS pro-caliphate voices.”Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

In August 2013, Georgelas moved his wife and children to Azaz, Syria, in the midst of the country’s civil war. After a month, his family left Georgelas permanently to return to the United States. Following their departure, Georgelas trained with an ISIS-affiliated group near Aleppo, then participated in combat. However, he was severely injured by a mortar blast in April 2014, which left him unable to walk for some time. While recovering, Georgelas continued to update his website and became active on social media, where he posted pro-ISIS content. Georgelas was reportedly close with members of ISIS’s leadership, including former spokesperson and second-highest ranking ISIS leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani. Georgelas reportedly pressed Adnani to pressure ISIS emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to declare a caliphate. Once ISIS publicly declared its caliphate in June 2014, Georgelas pledged his allegiance to Baghdadi.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

Georgelas was taken prisoner by the Free Syrian Army, but was eventually released after he reportedly feigned cooperation. In 2015, he traveled to ISIS’s de facto capital of Raqqa, where he was accepted as a scholar and spokesman for the group. Georgelas was first heard on ISIS’s Al Bayan radio station in December 2015, and in April 2016, wrote an article titled “Kill the Imams of Kufr [Disbelief] in the West” for ISIS’s English-language propaganda magazine, Dabiq.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.  Georgelas has since written extensively for both Dabiq and its successor, Rumiyah.

In December 2016, four months after Adnani was killed in a drone strike, ISIS named its new spokesperson as “Abu al-Hassan al-Mujahir”––a name similar to a known alias of Georgelas’s, Abu Hassan al-Mujahir. Although the Atlantic speculated that Georgelas might be the new spokesperson, there has been no further evidence to suggest this possibility. Nonetheless, the Atlantic asserts that Georgelas remains the “most important and prominent American” in ISIS.Graeme Wood, “The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS,” Atlantic, updated January 25, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/the-american-leader-in-the-islamic-state/510872/.

Bilal Philips—born Dennis Bradley Philips in Jamaica—is a Canadian citizen and extremist preacher residing in Qatar.Dylan Robertson, “Canadian imam Bilal Philips unwelcome in Philippines,” Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2014, http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/canadian-imam-bilal-philips-unwelcome-in-philippines;
“Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Dennis Bradley Philips),” Hampshire College, May 2015, “http://sites.hampshire.edu/scienceandislamvideoportal/speaker/abu-ameenah-bilal-philips-dennis-bradley-philips/. Philips has been named by the United States as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings but has never been charged.Andrew Gillian, “Why does the BBC air Islamist propaganda?” The Spectator (London), March 10, 2017, https://www.spectator.co.uk/2010/03/why-does-the-bbc-air-islamist-propaganda/#;
Dylan Robertson, “Canadian imam Bilal Philips unwelcome in Philippines,” Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2014, http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/canadian-imam-bilal-philips-unwelcome-in-philippines. Philips has been banned or deported from numerous countries for his extremist views, including Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Kenya, Germany, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Gabriel Borrud, “Germany expels openly homophobic imam,” Deutsche Welle, April 24, 2011, http://www.dw.com/en/germany-expels-openly-homophobic-imam/a-6510494-1;
“The National Sanctions List – Religious Workers with Entry Ban,” Nyidanmark.dk, https://www.nyidanmark.dk/da-dk/Ophold/religioese-forkyndere/den_nationale-sanktionsliste/religiose_forkyndere_med_indrejseforbud.htm;
“Islamic teacher  linked to terror groups arrested,” Manila Times, September 9, 2014, http://www.manilatimes.net/islamic-teacher-linked-terror-groups-arrested/125511/.

Philips was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the foiled 1993 plot to bomb the Holland and Lincoln tunnels that span New York and New Jersey, two of the six targets that were part of the New York City landmark bomb plot, a follow-up operation to the World Trade Center attack.“A Conversation About Jihad With Controversial Preacher Bilal Philips,” IntelWire, March 19, 2011. According to Clement Rodney Hampton-El (a.k.a. Abdullah Rashid)—one of the men convicted of the World Trade Center bombings—Philips gave him the name of soldiers who were about to leave the U.S. military and who might be receptive to aiding jihadists in Bosnia.J. M. Berger, Jihad Joe, (Potomac Books, Inc.: Washington, D.C.), 2011; “Time to stop all the anti-Western hatred,” News.com.Au, March 17, 2009. http://www.news.com.au/opinion/time-to-stop-all-the-anti-western-hatred/news-story/8b452e6525e029888a14e79251eea3f7. Philips had also agreed to provide Hampton-El with funding to recruit non-American Muslims and send them to Bosnia. However, some of the recruits decided to attack the United States rather than travel to Bosnia, which led to the failed plot to bomb the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.“Controversial Muslim preacher to speak in Toronto,” National Post (Toronto), June 2, 2011. http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/controversial-muslim-preacher-to-speak-in-toronto/wcm/fae6066a-31a8-4b47-b0f6-c44d9e1bc4de.

Philips is a committed purveyor of homophobic ideas, describing gay sex as “evil,” “dangerous,” “deviant behavior,” responsible for the break-up of the nuclear family unit, and deserving of the death penalty.Stewart Bell, “Controversial Canadian Muslim preacher accused of inciting terrorism and arrested in Philippines,” National Post (Toronto), September 10, 2014, http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canadian-muslim-preacher-accused-of-inciting-terrorism-arrested-in-philippines;
Bilal Philips, “Homosexuality – Contemporary Issues – Bilal Philips,” Digital Minibar, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AerCqUUxiUo. AIDS, according to Philips, is divinely ordained retribution visited upon gay people for their “deviation.”Bilal Philips, “Homosexuality – Contemporary Issues – Bilal Philips,” Digital Minibar, YouTube, December 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AerCqUUxiUo. In this vein, Philips has also lodged objections at the fashion industry, “which is mostly controlled by homosexuals,” and has “promoted the blurring of lines between males and females…”Bilal Philips, “Homosexuality – Contemporary Issues – Bilal Philips,” Digital Minibar, YouTube, December 14, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AerCqUUxiUo.

In the United Kingdom, Philips is specifically banned for condoning suicide bombing, claiming “when you look at the mind of the suicide bomber, it’s a different intention altogether, the enemy is either too heavily armed, or they don’t have the type of equipment that can deal with it.”“Islamic teacher linked to terror groups arrested,” Manila Times, September 9, 2014, http://www.manilatimes.net/islamic-teacher-linked-terror-groups-arrested/125511/. Philips regularly airs his views on networks such as Peace TV, a 24-hour Islamic satellite TV channel run by extremist preacher Zakir Naik, and through his social media channels on Facebook,DrBilalPhilips, Facebook profile, accessed June 20, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/DrBilalPhilips/. YouTube,AabPhilips, YouTube profile, accessed June 20, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/user/aabphilips. and Twitter,DrBilalPhilips, Twitter profile, accessed June 20, 2017, https://twitter.com/DrBilalPhilips?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor. the last of which has over 400,000 followers.“Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Dennis Bradley Philips),” Hampshire College, “http://sites.hampshire.edu/scienceandislamvideoportal/speaker/abu-ameenah-bilal-philips-dennis-bradley-philips/. All of his social media accounts are officially “verified” by the social media companies. Philips himself denies that he is an extremist, claiming his statements are misquoted and that his mistreatment at the hands of immigration officials is more akin to the incarceration of Nelson Mandela.Dylan Robertson, “Canadian imam Bilal Philips unwelcome in Philippines,” Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2014, http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/canadian-imam-bilal-philips-unwelcome-in-philippines;
Tu Thanh Ha, “Controversial imam Bilal Philips says banning him won’t stop his message,” Globe and Mail (Toronto), September 15, 2014, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/controversial-imam-bilal-philips-says-banning-him-wont-stop-his-message/article20611079/.

Philips was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but moved to Toronto, Canada with his family the age of 11. As a young man, Philips was interested with Communism and black nationalism before he became interested in Islam.Bilal Philips, “Dr. Abu Ameena Bilal Phillips (sic),” Way to Allah, accessed June 20, 2017, http://www.way-to-allah.com/en/journey/philips.html. He converted in 1972, after reading an influential book by Muhammad Qutb, younger brother of Sayyid Qutb, called Islam, the Misunderstood Religion. At this point he took on the name “Bilal.” In 1979, Philips moved to Medina, Saudi Arabia, where he studied Islam. He later attained a Master’s degree in Islamic Theology in Riyadh.J. M. Berger, Jihad Joe (Potomac Books, Inc.: Washington, D.C.), 2011.

Since converting to Islam, Philips has propagated an extremist interpretation of the religion. He has established numerous educational institutes and universities in several countries including the United Arab Emirates, India, Qatar, and Sudan. He is also the founder of the Islamic University Online, a website whose courses are marketed on Philips’ social media accounts.Bilal Philips, “Dr. Abu Ameena Bilal Phillips (sic),” Way to Allah, accessed June 20, 2017, http://www.way-to-allah.com/en/journey/philips.html. By his own account, Philips was instrumental in a mass conversion of American troops to Islam during the Gulf War while stationed in Saudi Arabia during 1992. As a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force’s religious unit, which had persuaded American officers to allow seminars introducing troops to Arab culture, Philips claims to have converted 3,000 U.S. soldiers, averaging 20 per day.Bilal Philips, “Dr. Abu Ameena Bilal Phillips (sic),” Way to Allah, accessed June 20, 2017, http://www.way-to-allah.com/en/journey/philips.html;
“Hizb ut Tahrir is not a gateway to terrorism, claims Whitehall report,” The Telegraph, July 25, 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/andrew-gilligan/7908262/Hizb-ut-Tahrir-is-not-a-gateway-to-terrorism-claims-Whitehall-report.html.

Tarik Chadlioui, a.k.a. Tarik Ibn Ali, is a Moroccan-born Islamist preacher who reportedly played a role in radicalizing Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai through sermons at a Paris mosque. Chadlioui is further accused of fundraising for Syrian extremists and of being the spiritual leader of the now-defunct Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, which has ties to the defunct group Sharia4UK, once led by jailed propagandist Anjem Choudary.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html. Though reportedly based in the United Kingdom since 2015, Spanish authorities accuse Chadlioui of being the spiritual leader of a jihadist group in Spain. Spain accuses Chadlioui of using his social media channels to recruit for ISIS. On June 28, 2017, British authorities arrested Chadlioui in Birmingham as part of a continent-wide operation against ISIS supporters.Ben Farmer and James Badcock, “Birmingham counter-terror arrest: Alleged ‘spiritual leader’ of Majorca-based cell is held,” Telegraph (London), June 28, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/28/birmingham-counter-terror-arrest-alleged-spiritual-leader-majorca/. Based on these offenses in Majorca in 2014 and 2015, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court ruled on October 3, 2017 that Chadlioui be extradited to Spain.“Central Magistrates Court Number 1 of the Spanish Criminal Court V. Tark Chadlioui,” Westminster Magistrates’ Court, October 3, 2017, https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/chadlioui-v-spain-20171003.pdf. It is reported that on February 2018, Chadlioui was taken into custody in SpainFelipe Armendáriz, “Imam Tarik, terrorist or de-radicalizer?,” Diario de Mallorca, January 12, 2019, https://www.diariodemallorca.es/mallorca/2019/01/13/iman-tarik--terrorista-o/1382453.html. and as of January 09, 2019 he is on provisional release after paying 60,000 euros in bail.“En libertad bajo fianza de 60.000 euros un yihadista relacionado con una ‘matanza’ planeada en Inca,” Europa Press, January 08, 2019, https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-libertad-fianza-60000-euros-yihadista-relacionado-matanza-planeada-inca-mallorca-20190108213442.html.

Chadlioui maintains an active presence on social media. He has more than 29,000 followers on Facebook.Tarik Chadlioui, Facebook page, accessed June 19, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/tarik.ibnali. Since Chadlioui joined YouTube in 2007, he has amassed more than 16,000 subscribers and his videos have received more than 13 million views.Tarik Ibn Ali, YouTube page, accessed June 19, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/user/TarikIbnAli. YouTube videos of Chadlioui show him extolling jihad as a path to forgiveness for other sins.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html;
Abd Mus, “Ô toi qui délaisse ou retarde la prière ! [2/8],” YouTube video, uploaded April 11, 2010, 9:22, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7wlhqnVtPA.

Tarik Chadlioui’s videos have received more than 13 million views on YouTube. (Source: YouTube)

Chadlioui was previously based in Belgium, but reportedly moved to Egypt in 2010 after the Belgian government outlawed Islamic face veils in public.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html; “Belgian ban on full veils comes into force,” BBC News, July 23, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14261921. In 2015, he reportedly moved to the United Kingdom.Alexander Robertson, “Terror suspect arrested in Birmingham and facing extradition to Spain is imam father-of-eight who preached to Bataclan bomber before Paris attacks,” Daily Mail (London), updated June 29, 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4646058/Police-arrest-ISIS-supporter-Birmingham.html.< Chadlioui purportedly traveled regularly to Europe to lecture at mosques and Islamic events. He spoke several times at the Luce mosque in the Paris suburb of Courcouronnes. Bataclan suicide bomber Ismaël Omar Mostefai reportedly attended the mosque.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html. Mostefai was one of three gunmen who attacked Paris’s Bataclan theater in a series of coordinated attacks on November 13, 2015, that killed 130 people and wounded more than 300 others.Michael Safi, “Paris attacks: severed finger found at Bataclan theatre identifies attacker,” Guardian (London), November 15, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/15/paris-attacks-severed-finger-found-at-bataclan-theatre-identifies-attacker;
Paul Cruickshank, “The inside story of the Paris and Brussels attacks,” CNN, March 30, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/30/europe/inside-paris-brussels-terror-attacks/index.html.

Chadlioui was previously based in Belgium, but reportedly moved to Egypt in 2010 after the Belgian government outlawed Islamic face veils in public.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html;
“Belgian ban on full veils comes into force,” BBC News, July 23, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14261921. Chadlioui now reportedly travels regularly to Europe to lecture at mosques and Islamic events. Chadlioui spoke several times at the Luce mosque in the Paris suburb of Courcouronnes. Bataclan suicide bomber Ismaël Omar Mostefai reportedly attended the mosque.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html. Mostefai was one of three gunmen who attacked Paris’s Bataclan theater in a series of coordinated attacks on November 13, 2015, that killed 130 people and wounded more than 300 others.Michael Safi, “Paris attacks: severed finger found at Bataclan theatre identifies attacker,” Guardian (London), November 15, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/15/paris-attacks-severed-finger-found-at-bataclan-theatre-identifies-attacker;
Paul Cruickshank, “The inside story of the Paris and Brussels attacks,” CNN, March 30, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/30/europe/inside-paris-brussels-terror-attacks/index.html.

In September 2014, Dutch lawmakers called for Chadlioui to be banned from entering the country ahead of a scheduled talk in the Dutch city of Gouda,“Radical Imam Should be Banned From Gouda: Politicians,” NL Times, September 18, 2014, http://nltimes.nl/2014/09/18/radical-imam-banned-gouda-politicians/. though Chadlioui’s talk reportedly went on as scheduled. The Dutch government nonetheless reportedly revoked Chadlioui’s visa ahead of a March 2015 fundraiser in Rijswijk that Dutch media labeled a “jihad gala.”Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html;
“MPs, officials want answers on Rijswijk ‘jihad gala,’” NL Times, February 16, 2015, http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/02/mps-officials-want-answers-on-rijswijk-jihad-gala/.

Chadlioui is linked to at least three European Islamist groups. He was reportedly the spiritual leader of Sharia4Belgium, a now-defunct Belgium-based group whose members traveled to Syria en masse in 2014.Matthew Dalton and Margaret Coker, “How Belgium Became a Jihadist-Recruiting Hub,” Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2014, http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-belgium-became-a-jihadist-recruiting-hub-1411958283. Sharia4Belgium’s leader, Foud Belkacem, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in February 2015.Andrew Higgins, “Head of Belgian Group Said to Recruit Fighters for Syria Gets 12-Year Term,” New York Times, February 11, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/world/europe/fouad-belkacem-sharia4belgium-verdict-trial-belgium.html?_r=0. Germany banned the Islamist group Millatu Ibrahim in 2012 for promoting violence in its “fight against existing constitutional order,” according to the government.“Salafist Organization Banned in Germany,” Spiegel Online, June 14, 2012, http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-bans-salafist-organization-and-stages-police-raids-a-838832.html. Nonetheless, Chadlioui reportedly raised €91,000 for the group during a 2013 speech at a German mosque.Jay Akbar and Neil Doyle, “Preacher of terror: Revealed, the hate filled Belgian Muslim cleric who 'radicalised' Bataclan suicide bomber Omar Mostefai,” Daily Mail (London), November 17, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320770/Preacher-terror-Revealed-hate-filled-Belgian-Muslim-cleric-radicalised-Bataclan-suicide-bomber-Omar-Mostefai.html. The YouTube page of German Islamist group DawaFFM hosts several videos of Chadlioui addressing the group.DawaFFMTeam, YouTube page, accessed June 19, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/user/DAWAFFMTEAM/videos. The German government banned the group in March 2013, citing its incitement of violent Islamist radicals.Associated Press, “Germany: Islamist Group Banned,” New York Times, June 15, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/world/europe/germany-islamist-group-millatu-ibrahim-banned.html;
Associated Press, “Germany bans two ultraconservative Islamic groups,” Yahoo News, March 13, 2013, https://www.yahoo.com/news/germany-bans-2-ultraconservative-islamic-groups-131207241.html?ref=gs.

As part of a Europe-wide counter-ISIS operation, British authorities arrested Chadlioui in Birmingham on June 28, 2017, for allegedly recruiting for the terror group through his social media videos.Alexander Robertson, “Terror suspect arrested in Birmingham and facing extradition to Spain is imam father-of-eight who preached to Bataclan bomber before Paris attacks,” Daily Mail (London), updated June 29, 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4646058/Police-arrest-ISIS-supporter-Birmingham.html. At the same time, Spanish police said they arrested four of Chadlioui’s followers in Majorka, Spain, while another was arrested in Germany. Spanish authorities seek to extradite Chadlioui. Spanish police suspect Chadlioui of “exercising functions ranging from recruiting, indoctrination and radicalization” on behalf of ISIS and “becoming from that point on their spiritual leader.”Ben Farmer and James Badcock, “Birmingham counter-terror arrest: Alleged ‘spiritual leader’ of Majorca-based cell is held,” Telegraph (London), June 28, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/28/birmingham-counter-terror-arrest-alleged-spiritual-leader-majorca/. Chadlioui faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.Ben Farmer and James Badcock, “Birmingham counter-terror arrest: Alleged ‘spiritual leader’ of Majorca-based cell is held,” Telegraph (London), June 28, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/28/birmingham-counter-terror-arrest-alleged-spiritual-leader-majorca/.

Mohammed Shamsuddin is a pro-ISIS extremist propagandist and former member of Anjem Choudary’s now-defunct al-Muhajiroun terrorist network. According to the 2016 British television documentary “The Jihadis Next Door,” Shamsuddin replaced Abu Rumaysah, the network’s former senior spokesman, who traveled to Syria in late 2014.The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. The documentary’s director, Jamie Roberts, identified Shamsuddin as the “most senior member” of the extremist network, which has included such figures as extremist propagandist Abu Haleema and June 2017 London Bridge attacker Khuram Shazad Butt.The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. Shamsuddin is also an associate of Omar Bakri Muhammad, the extremist preacher who initially created the al-Muhajiroun network and is incarcerated in Lebanon on terrorism-related charges.“London Bridge attacker was known member of extremist network,” Financial Times (London), June 5, 2017, https://www.ft.com/content/9e1cd794-4a0a-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b.

Shamsuddin has propagated incendiary, divisive, and extremist messaging both amongst members of his group and when speaking publicly. Speaking to a crowd of people in July 2015, Shamsuddin said, “My dear Muslim brothers, there’s a war taking place… the sharia [Islamic law] is coming to the UK. This black flag you see here, one day, is going to be on 10 Downing Street.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. He also said, “We’re going to arrest [former Prime Minister] David Cameron. We’re going to arrest [former parliamentarian] George Osborne. We’re going to arrest every single member of the Conservative Party and put him on trial for the crimes against Muslims.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016.

Despite advocating sharia in the United Kingdom and fiercely criticizing British foreign policy, the divorced father-of-five has a keen understanding of how to take advantage of the freedoms and benefits afforded to British citizens. In spite of Shamsuddin’s fiery rhetoric, he has managed to avoid imprisonment and has lived on state welfare benefits since he was 18 years old.Tom Kelly and Inderdeep Bains, “Bridge terrorist’s links to two extremist preachers: Jihadi was filmed at extremist events alongside cleric who hailed his support for ISIS,” Daily Mail (London), June 4, 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4571814/Bridge-terrorist-s-links-two-extremist-preachers.html#ixzz4kSNCFV6k. According to documentarian Jamie Roberts, who made “The Jihadis Next Door” for Britain’s Channel 4 in 2016, Shamsuddin was also very careful when asked about ISIS. As Shamsuddin says in the film: “You can get 10 years [in prison] just for saying something which is reckless or careless… even though you didn’t possibly mean it like that, you know what I mean? You could have possibly meant it innocently, but because that innocent word could land you in prison [for] ten years.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. At one point during the film, Roberts showed Shamsuddin and Haleema ISIS execution videos and the two laughed, with Haleema complimenting ISIS’s high-quality filming style.The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016.

At another point during the documentary, the group was stopped and searched by a British policeman who said he was alerted by the public that the men were carrying an ISIS flag. Shamsuddin loudly protested against the search, repeatedly asking “search for what?” and “what offense has he made?” and “why?” Shamsuddin also repeatedly yelled at the policeman: “you’re lying” and “you’re a liar.” At one point, Shamsuddin asked, “what section of the terrorism act… glorification? Instigation? Preparation? We’re not stupid. We know the law.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016.

When asked how many people Shamsuddin knows “who have gone [to join ISIS in Syria],” he replied, “I know a fair amount, yeah. I know a fair amount.” Shamsuddin has also mocked U.K. counterterrorism officials, calling the person who dropped charges against him, “the moron of counterterrorism command.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. In August 2015, when members of his extremist cell were required to appear at a court hearing, Shamsuddin spoke to the press. He said, “My message to the Muslim community in the UK is this: this is a war against Islam and Muslims. The dawa [proselytization] must continue, the struggle must continue, the call must continue, and one day Islam will be dominant and the black flag of Islam will be over Downing Street.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. That same month Shamsuddin was once again arrested and released during counter-terrorism raids.“Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane, and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/.

Shamsuddin’s radicalization process reportedly began while he was at university, where he served as head of Southampton Solent University’s Islamic Society before dropping out.“London terrorist Khuram Butt appeared in TV documentary The Jihadis Next Door and ‘tried to go to Syria,” Telegraph (London), June 5, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/london-terrorist-appeared-channel-4-jihadi-documentary-tried/; The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. It was there that Shamsuddin met Bakri Muhammad, whom Shamsuddin described as a “close figure in my life…he is the person that had the most effect on my life, no doubt about it, in terms of molding my views.”The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016. According to the Channel 4 documentary, Shamsuddin is divorced with five children and has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome since he was 8 years old and lives on government benefits.The Jihadis Next Door. Directed by Jamie Roberts. United Kingdom: Channel 4, 2016.

Shamsuddin first gained media attention during the 2010 sentencing of Roshonara Choudhry, a London University student convicted of stabbing Stephen Timms, a member of parliament for East Ham. When the jury sentenced Choudhry to life in prison in November 2010, Shamsuddin and two fellow protestors berated one juror wearing a hijab, screaming, “Shame on you, sister.”Sue Reid, “Special Report: The ‘DIY Jihadists’ Paid for by us… Roshanara Choudhry supporters are living on benefits,” Daily Mail (London), November 5, 2010, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326844/DIY-jihadists-Roshonara-Choudhry-supporters-living-benefits.html. After the judge expelled the trio from the courtroom, they continued their protest outside, waving banners asserting that “Islam will dominate the world” and calling for the murder of British soldiers and Timms.Sue Reid, “Special Report: The ‘DIY Jihadists’ Paid for by us… Roshanara Choudhry supporters are living on benefits,” Daily Mail (London), November 5, 2010, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326844/DIY-jihadists-Roshonara-Choudhry-supporters-living-benefits.html.

In September 2014, Shamsuddin and other members of al-Muhajiroun were arrested in a counterterrorism raid. Although Shamsuddin was released without charge, his arrest alongside Choudary, Rumaysah, and Haleema spoke to his central role within the al-Muhajiroun network and Britain’s extremist Islamist milieu. Choudary himself initially recruited Shamsuddin into al-Muhajiroun.Ceylan Yeginsu, “One of U.K.’s Most Prolific Extremist Cells Is Regrouping,” New York Times, May 18, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/world/europe/uk-extremist-cell-anjem-choudary.html. Rumaysah, a.k.a. Siddartha Dhar, immigrated to Syria to join ISIS in later that month while out on bail, published a “travel guide” for aspiring foreign fighters, and was suspected of being the masked jihadist responsible for executing an alleged British spy in a January 2016 ISIS propaganda video.“Britain denounces Islamic State video showing ‘spies’ shot,” Reuters, January 4, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-video-idUSKBN0UI0QD20160104. He reportedly died in 2017.Tom Well, “‘JIHADI SID’ KILLED ‘Jihadi Sid’, the British former bouncy castle salesman turned ISIS fiend, is believed to have been killed in drone strike, officials say,” Sun (London), October 19, 2018, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7538880/jihadi-sid-killed-drone-strike/. Haleema is an alleged ISIS supporter who has used YouTube and social media as platforms to disseminate lectures and mobilize ISIS sympathizers in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Although Shamsuddin has not been charged for supporting the London Bridge attacks, his relationship with Khuram Butt and role in al-Muhajiroun are well-documented. Indeed, Shamsuddin functioned as a de-facto leader of the formally defunct al-Muhajiroun group following Omar Bakri’s detention in Lebanon and Choudary’s imprisonment for terrorism offenses in the United Kingdom.Sarah Knapton, Martin Evans, Nicola Harley, Harry Yorke, Pen Farmer, and Robert Mendick, “Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane, and Youssef Zaghba named: Everything we know about the London Bridge terrorists,” Telegraph (London), June 6, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/05/ringleader-london-bridge-terror-attack-named-khuram-butt/. As a leading figure within the extremist network, Shamsuddin has implied support for the so-called Islamic State, called for a caliphate in the United Kingdom, and promised that Islam would dominate the world.Tom Kelly and Hugo Gye, “Sickening moment two henchmen of ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi Sid’ giggled as they watched beheading video while eating meal in London restaurant,” Daily Mail (London), January 19, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406053/ISIS-militant-nicknamed-Jihadi-Sid-warned-black-flag-fly-Downing-Street.html.

The U.K. government banned al-Muhajiroun in 2006 over the group’s links to terrorism and later banned the group’s aliases.“Proscribed Terrorist Organizations,” U.K. Home Office, accessed July 31, 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/538297/20160715-Proscription-website-update.pdf. British authorities released Choudary from prison on parole in October 2018, halfway through his sentence. Since then, British sources report that elements of al-Muhajiroun have sought to reorganize. Shamsuddin told the New York Times in May 2019 that the al-Muhajiroun members arrested in the 2000s are all now free or about to go free. He said that the police are now stretched too thin and the British government is too preoccupied with Brexit to focus on a regrouping al-Muhajiroun.Ceylan Yeginsu, “One of U.K.’s Most Prolific Extremist Cells Is Regrouping,” New York Times, May 18, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/world/europe/uk-extremist-cell-anjem-choudary.html.