(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. ISIS online supporters praised both the March 7 attempted attack in New York and the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University, the latter committed by a former National Guard soldier who served eight years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Online ISIS supporters also shared a message originally posted on Element on March 9, calling for attacks on Hindus in South and Southeast Asia. In the issue of Al-Naba released on March 12, the editorial condemned religious scholars and the leaders of Gulf states. ISIS released four propaganda videos on March 8, 9, 10, and 11, including a call for violence, and a video from ISIS’s Somalia Province on March 11 that featured a speaker identified as a Spanish national. Posts in pro-ISIS online spaces on March 10 and 11 encouraged donating money to supporter groups.
ISIS claimed credit for 24 attacks between March 8 and 14, including a claim of taking 100 people hostage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an attack on a Chinese-owned mine in the country. ISIS claimed responsibility for 13 attacks in Nigeria, including a series of attacks on military camps in the country.
The under-18 white supremacist Youth Club movement announced that the first chapters were formed in Canada in posts that included video of leaders of the Active Club movement, noting the importance of youth recruitment. The Active Club movement promoted their first large-scale mixed martial arts (MMA) forest fight, held earlier in March. Finally, CEP researchers found over 30 accounts on Meta-owned Instagram that made various white supremacist, neo-Nazi, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim posts. Among the accounts, 17 belonged to either Active Clubs or Youth Clubs.
Online ISIS Supporters Praise, Analyze Attempted New York Attack
In posts on RocketChat and Telegram, online ISIS supporters mostly praised the two men accused of throwing two explosive devices at an anti-Muslim demonstration near Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7. Both individuals were charged with attempted support of ISIS and the use of a weapon of mass destruction, in addition to charges concerning the transportation or possession of explosives.
On March 9, online supporters on RocketChat posted messages of support for the two accused attackers and noted that it was unfortunate that the explosives did not detonate. Another prominent chat user stated that the attempted attack was “stupid” and that the accused perpetrators should have used firearms. Another user noted that the two men were “brave,” but expressed disappointment that no one was killed or injured.
On Telegram, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel posted photos of the attackers that originally appeared in mainstream media and posted the statement from one of the accused perpetrators that he had viewed ISIS propaganda videos.
Online ISIS Supporters Celebrate Old Dominion Shooting
On ISIS online supporters celebrated the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University, where Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire on a classroom of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing professor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, and wounding two students. The gunman was disarmed and killed by the students. Jalloh previously served eight years in prison after being convicted of attempting to provide material support to ISIS in 2016. Jalloh had previously met with members of the terrorist organization in Nigeria and had expressed his intention of committing an attack using a firearm.
On March 12, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel noted the attack and posted photos of the gunman and one of the victims. On March 12 and 13, pro-ISIS RocketChat users commented that Jalloh “made us proud” and referred to him as a martyr.
A post on Telegram on March 12 by a pro-ISIS channel, noting the Old Dominion shooting, including a photo of Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. Screenshot taken on March 16.
Online ISIS Supporters Call for Attacks on Hindus in South and Southeast Asia
On March 9, a member of a pro-ISIS chat on the Element platform posted a call for attacks targeting Hindus, specifically noting Bangladesh (including the cities of Sylhet and Rangpur), Myanmar, and the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Manipur. The message was shared on RocketChat by users on March 10. The user’s location is unknown.
Al Naba Editorial Condemns Gulf Leaders and Religious Scholars
ISIS, via the Al-Naba editorial in issue 538, released on March 12, condemned regional religious scholars and leaders of Gulf countries for hosting U.S. military bases. The editorial noted that these countries are now under attack by Iran. The author called religious scholars who support Gulf leaders “internal enemies of the faith,” and praised the ISIS video series that began in late February, as offering correct religious guidance and calling people to “truth.”
Image from ISIS Al-Naba issue 538 editorial, showing speakers from recently released ISIS propaganda videos on the left, and prominent religious scholars from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on the right. Screenshot taken on March 12.
ISIS Continues Series of Religious-Focused Videos
ISIS continued to release videos in the “Guidance and Admonition for the God-Fearing” series. Videos were released on March 8, 9, 10, and 11 from ISIS self-proclaimed provinces in West Africa, for the first three videos, and ISIS’s Somalia province for the March 11 video. Videos ranged from approximately nine and a half minutes to 12 and a half minutes.
The video released on March 8 advised fearing God and practicing humbleness. The video on the following day discussed the conclusion of Ramadan and the removal of sin, and encouraged committing attacks. The final video from West Africa, released on March 10, condemned deceit, slander, lying, and hypocrisy. The video from ISIS’s Somalia Province, released on March 11, focused on discipline and patience. The speaker, who was identified as a Spanish national, condemned the West, stating that they were the cause of all humiliation and oppression of Muslims, noting that they were directly or indirectly responsible through proxies in the Middle East for corrupting their children, arresting or suppressing scholars, and dishonoring the Prophet Muhammad. A post on a pro-ISIS Telegram channel noted that the speaker in the March 11 video “left Spain to live a life of dignity in the mountains of Somalia.”
Videos were located on pro-ISIS websites, Telegram, RocketChat, and Element, and links were spread on SimpleX Chat. CEP researchers reported 42 different uploads of the four videos to Dropbox, Files.Fm, Fromsmash, GoFile.Io, LimeWire, Mega.Nz, PixelDrain, and Qu.ax. As of March 16, 37 files had been removed, with five videos remaining on Files.Fm set to private access.
ISIS video from the group’s affiliate in Somalia, released on March 11, posted on Telegram. Screenshot taken on March 12.
ISIS Propagandists Call for Donations
In several posts on March 10 and 11, pro-ISIS users on RocketChat and Element called for their followers to donate money to ISIS supporter groups. The posts did not include specific cryptocurrency addresses; instead, they posted Telegram bot links or, in one case, an address for the Session messaging application.
Roundup of Claimed ISIS Attacks
Between March 8 and 14, ISIS claimed credit for 24 attacks. 13 attacks were claimed in Nigeria, five in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, two in Somalia, two in Syria, and one attack each in Niger and Pakistan.
ISIS noted the operations targeting Nigerian military camps, referring to it as the “Inferno Of Camps” campaign in issue 538 of the group’s Al-Naba newsletter, released on March 12. The group noted that as of March 12, ISIS had killed or wounded dozens of soldiers and militia members, including officers, and claimed to have destroyed five military camps and 55 vehicles. The article included a breakdown of attacks in Nigeria, including the use of a car bomb in an attack in Sambisa Forest, which killed or wounded 30 soldiers.
On March 13, ISIS’s Central Africa Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo claimed to have killed 17 “Christian fighters” and captured 100 others in an attack in Ituri Province. On March 14, ISIS posted Amaq propaganda photos from an attack on a mine operated by a Chinese company in Mushasha, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photos showed dead Congolese soldiers, the burning of vehicles, including mining and construction vehicles, and buildings, and captured weaponry.
White Supremacist Youth Clubs Announce Canada Chapters
On March 6, the main Telegram account connected to the under-18 white supremacist Youth Club movement posted that the first clubs were formed in Canada. Just as with posts announcing the formation of other non-U.S. chapters, the account claimed that the U.S. branch is “not affiliated” with foreign chapters, but rather, the foreign chapters are allegedly inspired by the U.S. movement. As of March 12, the Canadian movement claimed to have clubs in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
As one of their inaugural posts on March 6, the main Canadian Youth Club Telegram channel posted audio from a conversation between Alex Vriend, a propagandist and streamer who is the vice president of the group Second Sons Canada, and Robert Rundo, the founder of the Active Club movement. Vriend noted the importance of “bringing in youth” to the white supremacist movement. In the approximately one-and-a-half-minute video, Vriend notes that it is essential to “bring in younger guys,” with Rundo agreeing and supporting the creation of Youth Clubs.
Youth Clubs, which are meant for boys between the ages of 15 and 18, are modeled on the Active Club style of white supremacist organizing based on creating a counter-culture, combat sports, physical fitness, and engaging in spreading extreme right propaganda declaring a hatred of non-white people, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ people, and immigrants.
In addition to chapters in the U.S. and Canada, Youth Clubs have spread to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia, and Finland.
Active Club Movement Promotes Recent Forest Fight
In posts on March 8 and 9, Telegram channels affiliated with the Active Club movement praised the first forest fight organized by the movement, which took place that weekend. Two teams faced off in a seven-on-seven mixed martial arts (MMA) fight. In a video posted on an affiliated Telegram channel, participants identified as being members of the groups Wolves of Vinland, a Texas Active Club, and the Pennsylvania Active Club. Photos of the event also showed the display of the flag of the neo-Nazi skinhead gang, the Hammerskins. The event was also promoted on Telegram by the bare-knuckle boxing league Streets Fight Club, which lists a member of a Texas Active Club as their U.S. contact.
Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist, Anti-Muslim, Antisemitic Content Located on Instagram
In a sample of content located on Meta-owned Instagram on March 11, CEP researchers found 31 accounts that posted various neo-Nazi and white supremacist content, including antisemitic and anti-Muslim posts. Multiple accounts were for Active Clubs in the U.S. or Europe, or Youth Clubs in the U.S.
The 31 accounts averaged 3,207 followers, ranging from 28 to 84,200. The account with approximately 84,200 followers had a username that promoted violence against Jews and made a post subtly identifying as a neo-Nazi. Another account with over 220 followers claimed to be a group modeled on the accelerationist neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division in the Southern Cone of South America.
Multiple accounts posted extreme antisemitic propaganda, including Holocaust denial content. Two accounts posted content, including videos, promoted accelerationist groups, including the Atomwaffen Division and The Base.
The 12 Active Club accounts included three French clubs, as well as chapters in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Colombia, Argentina, Bulgaria, and the U.S. states of Florida and Nevada. The accounts posted Active Club propaganda, hype videos, and antisemitic content in the case of the Nevada chapter-linked account. The five Youth Club accounts were for chapters in the Carolinas, Texas, Alaska, and a club for Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
CEP reported 31 accounts and 9 specific posts to Instagram on March 11. As of March 16, 27 accounts were still online, including 16 of the 17 Active Club or Youth Club accounts. Instagram removed two accounts that promoted neo-Nazi accelerationism, an account that posted neo-Nazi and antisemitic content, and a page for an Active Club in Spain. Multiple profiles that posted neo-Nazi, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim content were still on the platform as of March 16.
Footage originally from an Atomwaffen Division propaganda video on Instagram, originally posted on February 10. Screenshot taken on March 11.