(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. Last week, CEP researchers found a guide released online by a pro-ISIS group that encouraged renting firearms at a shooting range for use in an attack. Another online pro-ISIS group released a German translation of an article from the ISIS-K linked web magazine Voice of Khorasan.
Members of antisemitic Telegram channels and chats noted that the recent Ye song “Heil Hitler,” which has over 9.5 million views on X, was an example of effective propaganda because it goes beyond “your [own] echo chamber.” On May 11, the neo-Nazi accelerationist group The Base announced an upcoming training event in the United States, and requested that their supporters donate to the group using Monero or Bitcoin. On Telegram, the platform removed a channel and associated chat that shared plans for 3D-printed firearms and promoted antisemitism.
Online Pro-ISIS Group Encourages Acquiring Firearms at Shooting Ranges
On May 11, an online pro-ISIS group that encourages acts of lone-actor terrorism released a guide advocating for individuals to obtain firearms by renting them at a firing range. The manual noted that range rental was preferable to attempting to purchase weapons from criminal groups or arms dealers, which could lead to arrest. The guide advised individuals not to appear suspicious, go to small firing ranges with others or alone, and visit at least three times before committing an attack. The guide also encouraged knowing the facility's layout and avoiding giving a real name or phone number, suggesting that the author is unfamiliar with ranges in the U.S., where showing identification is common for renting firearms.
In February 2025, a Brooklyn, New York man who allegedly trained with rifles at a firing range in New Jersey was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and material support for ISIS and ISIS-K.
The manual was spread on Telegram by a bot that sends posts from a private channel. The bot has previously spread information on making homemade explosives and posts that promote violence. It is unknown how many subscribers the bot has, but the post containing the guide had over 650 views within three days. CEP researchers reported the bot to Telegram on May 12, who removed it on May 15. The PDF was also located on Element and SimpleX.
Telegram bot post. Screenshot taken on May 15.
Online German Language Pro-ISIS Group Posts Translation of Voice of Khorasan Article
On May 13, the online pro-ISIS German language group al-Saif Media released a document on RocketChat that originally appeared in issue 43 of the ISIS-K linked web magazine Voice of Khorasan. The article recounts a story of a man who travels from Turkey to join ISIS in Syria, presenting ISIS fighters, executions, and the group’s ideology through the eyes of a recent recruit.
Al-Saif Media announced its creation on RocketChat on January 21, with the mission of translating ISIS content into German and encouraging terrorist attacks in the West. The group’s distribution is limited online, mostly confined to private ISIS channels.
Extreme Right Telegram Channels Mixed on Ye Song Praising Hitler, But Note Effective Propaganda
Following the release of the Ye song “Heil Hitler,” extreme right Telegram channels offered mixed opinions on the musician who has repeatedly made antisemitic statements. The music video was posted on Telegram by several channels, including a channel dedicated to sharing white supremacist and antisemitic AI-generated images, which noted that the video was shockingly not created by AI. An antisemitic channel with over 6,000 followers stated that while they did not like the song from an artistic perspective, nor did they like Ye, they were happy regarding the message and resulting chaos. Members of a chat connected to a neo-Nazi book publisher stated that Jews were their primary enemy and that anything that increased antisemitism was positive. One chat member noted that the best propaganda transcends “your [own] echo chamber” and that it was fine to hate the work’s creator.
Telegram channel administrators previously praised Ye for endorsing Hitler on Alex Jones’s InfoWars program in December 2022.
The Ye song, posted on the X platform on May 8, had over 9.5 million views after a week on the site. X’s rules prohibit posts that promote “hateful entities” and the platform’s Grok AI noted that the song and accompanying video “likely violates X’s Hateful Conduct policy due to its glorification of Nazi ideology, antisemitic content, and potential to incite harm.” A YouTube channel unaffiliated with Ye posted the song on the platform on May 10, where it had over 1.1 million views on May 15. Additional versions of the song were available on Instagram, Odysee, and BitChute.
Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Group The Base Announces Upcoming Training, Requests Cryptocurrency
On May 11, the neo-Nazi accelerationist group The Base posted on the Russian social media site VK that they were planning a training event in the U.S., and requested financial backing. The training location was not announced. Social media affiliated with the group posted a short video allegedly showing a winter 2025 training event in Appalachia, and an accompanying photo depicted four individuals, two posing with firearms, and The Base’s flag.
The May 11 message requested that donations to the group be made using the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, if the individual did not mind their transactions being tracked, or the Monero privacy coin. The post noted that donations of any size were helpful, stating that money would be used to benefit the so-called “white defense force.” The post included instructions for purchasing Monero on the Kraken exchange, but assured that neither Kraken nor banks would know that the individual donated to the group. The Monero address is the same one that the group has previously used for fundraising.
The post comes at a time when The Base has been promoting their sabotage campaign against the Ukrainian government in the country’s west and accusations that the group’s leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, has ties to the Russian government. Nazzaro has previously offered to pay for a stateside leader for the group and has allegedly paid for a bot following on Telegram.
The Kraken cryptocurrency exchange recommended by The Base. Screenshot taken on May 15.
Antisemitic, Extreme Right Telegram Channel Promoting 3D-Printed Firearms Removed
A Telegram channel with over 3,300 subscribers and an associated chat that shared plans for creating 3D-printed firearms was removed from the platform for unknown reasons on May 14. The channel posted plans and links to plans for the 3D-printing of firearms and accessories, as well as antisemitic content. Users in the associated chat frequently posted antisemitic content, including a February 2025 post promoting the October 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter. A Telegram user affiliated with the Terrorgram Collective was also a previous chat member. Telegram users who claimed to be affiliated with the channel said it would eventually return to the platform. An earlier version of the channel was previously removed in October 2022.