(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. In searches of Instagram on August 7, CEP researchers located ten accounts that posted ISIS and pro-ISIS content. After reporting the ten accounts, six were still on the platform as of August 11.
On August 1, the founder of The Base, Rinaldo Nazzaro, released a video calling for the group’s supporters to embrace “extremism” and renounce respectability. Additionally, on August 7, the neo-Nazi group announced that they were using a Proton Mail account. On August 3, Robert Rundo, the founder of the Active Club movement, released a podcast on the Odysee platform, outlining plans for a magazine and offering advice for the club’s messaging.
A Texas Active Club posted photos on Telegram from the grand opening of their private gym. On X and Telegram, an Illinois chapter of the white supremacist movement released a new recruitment video.
The Internet Archive made four manuals, including Terrorgram content, inaccessible to non-approved researchers after CEP reported content located in a neo-Nazi Telegram chat. Also last week, members of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe celebrated their August 2 rally in Concord, New Hampshire, including on verified accounts on the X platform. Finally, in a post on Telegram, the neo-Nazi group Aryan Freedom Network announced that, contrary to rumors, the group does allow former members of the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, or the Proud Boys to join.
ISIS Propaganda and Pro-ISIS Content Located on Instagram
In a sample of content located on Instagram on August 7, CEP researchers located ten accounts that posted ISIS and pro-ISIS propaganda. Uploaded content included clips from ISIS propaganda videos, Amaq and Nashir news items, pages from the group’s weekly al-Naba newsletter, and Tajik-language ISIS content. At least one account uploaded clips from an ISIS video that included execution footage. The ten accounts had an average of 1,576 followers, ranging from 12 to an account with over 10,100 followers.
CEP reported the ten accounts to Instagram on August 7. As of August 11, four accounts had been removed and six were still online.
A clip from the ISIS video “Lions of the Sahel,” released on August 2. CEP reported five clips from the video on Instagram on August 4. CEP researchers located the above clip on August 7, which was uploaded on August 3 and had over 550 views within four days.
Founder of Accelerationist Neo-Nazi Group The Base Denounces Respectability and Calls to Embrace Extremism, Group Launches Proton Mail Account
CEP researchers found a video originally posted on August 1 from The Base’s leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, on a Russian video streaming platform and shared on Gab. In the approximately 13-minute video, Nazzaro denounced the concept of respectability, noting that white supremacist accelerationists would never achieve mainstream support, that it was worthless to try to grow the numbers of the neo-Nazi accelerationist movement significantly, and that a small percentage of the population fought revolutions. Nazzaro stated that this small group of individuals willing to commit “political violence” should be supported financially and logistically by those unwilling to fight. Consequently, Nazzaro claimed, these fighters should embrace an extremist identity as an “elite vanguard,” and movement leaders should work to create strategies for successful revolution, stating, “as extremists, the onus is on us, not the general population, to get the job done. Which means we need to organize, we need to rally around a solution, pool our resources together, and make it happen.”
On August 7, The Base announced that they could now be contacted via a Proton Mail account. The group also operates an email address on the Russian Mail.Ru platform. The Base and its affiliated groups have previously used at least four other Proton Mail accounts.
Nazzaro’s comments and The Base’s new Proton Mail account occur as the group has increasingly been accused of ties to Russian intelligence services, following an alleged Ukrainian chapter of the group claiming to have killed a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) colonel, and attacks within Ukraine.
Post from The Base on August 7, announcing their new Proton Mail address. Screenshot taken on August 11.
In New Audio Message, Founder of the Active Club Movement Advises on Messaging and Announces Intention to Create Magazine
In a new audio message released on the Odysee video site on August 3, Robert Rundo, the founder of the white supremacist Active Club movement, offered suggestions for recruitment messaging and called for individuals interested in collaborating on a magazine to contact him.
Remarking on the controversy surrounding recent advertisements from the clothing manufacturer American Eagle featuring actor Sydney Sweeney, Rundo stated that this was an excellent opportunity for Active Clubs to capitalize on trends both online and in person, noting that the movement should utilize the culture war to their advantage. While commenting that American Eagle is a “soulless corporation,” Rundo noted that Active Clubs should focus on the backlash to the ads and unite around a single “tasteful” message to portray liberals and the left as “anti-white” and promote Active Club messaging, and avoid making explicitly antisemitic or anti-corporate remarks. He also noted that it can take years for individuals to fully commit to white nationalist politics, making it crucial to create messaging that is both simple and relevant to the news cycle.
Noting that most extreme right propaganda was either too vague or overly complicated, Rundo stated that an important next step for Active Club outreach and recruitment efforts is to create a physical magazine. The publication, which would be given away, would be “stylish (and) youthful,” full of “white nationalist” content, including photos, articles, firsthand accounts, and product advertising, with a focus on “excitement.” Content would show “a bunch of fit cool guys, traveling, boxing, and smiling” to portray the white supremacist movement in a positive light. Rundo encouraged anyone interested to reach out to him directly.
Rundo’s comments regarding propaganda messaging and a magazine build on previous strategies to create a white supremacist movement focused on themes of brotherhood, self-improvement, and adventure. He additionally noted that he was applying for a presidential pardon, stating that while it was unlikely, it was worth trying.
Texas Active Club Announces Gym Grand Opening
On August 3, a Texas Active Club chapter announced the opening of its private gym in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Photos of gym mats included the logo for Patria Gloria, the Patriot Front and Active Club-affiliated jiu jitsu team, which has competed in both white supremacist and mainstream tournaments. The Telegram post noted that Jake Shields, a podcaster and mixed martial arts fighter known for antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments, was in attendance for the opening. The same Texas club had previously announced the existence of the gym on March 28.
Newly Announced Illinois Active Club Releases Recruitment Video
On August 1, the recently formed Illinois chapter of the white supremacist Active Club movement released a recruitment video. The video was posted to X on August 3. Footage shows individuals sparring with one another, followed by the club’s contact information being displayed on Telegram, X, and Proton Mail. A Chicago area Active Club previously maintained accounts on Telegram and X. CEP reported the Illinois Active Club X account to the platform on August 5. As of August 11, it was still online.
Illinois Active Club recruitment video on X. Screenshot taken on August 7.
Terrorgram and Maniac Murder Cult Manuals Restricted on the Internet Archive Following CEP Report
On August 5, CEP reported four manuals to the Internet Archive, two of which were posted in a Telegram chat in response to a request. One manual, The Haters Handbook, was allegedly made by the former leader of the Maniac Murder Cult. The author claims to have previously committed acts of violence and glorified attacks such as the Christchurch attack, the Buffalo attack, and the August 26, 2023, Jacksonville attack on black shoppers and employees at a Dollar General.
The three other manuals, made by the Terrorgram Collective and released in 2021 and 2022, encourage lone actor violence, attacks on infrastructure, the murder of politicians, law enforcement, black people, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Latinos, and LGBTQ people. The guides included information useful for committing lone actor attacks, such as operations security, tips on conducting surveillance and selecting targets, equipment suggestions, and directions for making homemade explosives. One guide specifically offered advice for committing live-streamed shootings, copying the Christchurch attack.
A Telegram user asked others in the chat if they had access to Terrorgram content, noting that they had searched for it using two different search engines. When a user sent the Internet Archive links, the original requester pointed out that the content was “hidden in plain sight.”
The Internet Archive made the four manuals available only to approved researchers after CEP reported them, making them inaccessible to the public. The four manuals were uploaded to the Internet Archive in June 2025.
Neo-Nazi Group Blood Tribe Celebrates Recent New Hampshire Demonstration
In an August 6 livestream on X, the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe celebrated their recent August 2 rally in Concord, New Hampshire. Video from the rally showed approximately 20 Blood Tribe members assembling in front of the state house with a banner proclaiming “Trump Loves Epstein” while the group’s leader, Christopher Pohlhaus, used a bullhorn to promote neo-Nazi propaganda and encouraged joining the group.
In the post-rally X livestream, Pohlhaus and 13 members of Blood Tribe, including several who were attending their first “national” rally on behalf of the group, praised the event. Noting a fight that took place between a counter-protester and Blood Tribe members, Pohlhaus and others claimed that they did not initiate it and were defending themselves. Blood Tribe posted a video on Telegram and X that showed group members fighting with the individual and using what appeared to be pepper spray against him. A video posted by an individual Blood Tribe member on X and shared by the group’s main X account, celebrating the assault of the counter-protester, received over 3,300 views within 48 hours.
Pohlhaus noted that he had collaborated on editing the video with a musician whose work was featured in it. He stated that the group would post and promote their videos on X and Telegram, encouraging their followers to share them. Both Pohlhaus and Blood Tribe have verified X accounts.
Aryan Freedom Network Seeks to Recruit Former Members of Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Proud Boys
In a Telegram post on August 4, the neo-Nazi group Aryan Freedom Network (AFN) noted that, contrary to rumors, they did accept members who formerly belonged to the militia groups the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, as well as former members of the Proud Boys. The post noted that anyone who met AFN’s recruitment standards would be welcome regardless of prior organization affiliations. The post stated that AFN is growing, with a presence in over 40 states.