Extremist Content Online: Pro-ISIS Online Users Share Operations Security Instructions and Explosives Guides; White Supremacist Active Clubs Hold Combat Sports and Networking Events

(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. In this week’s issue:

• ISIS Activity Roundup
• ISIS Al-Naba Editorial Condemns Religious Innovation
• ISIS-K-Linked Propaganda Group Releases Pamphlets Encouraging Patience and Faith and Praising Martyrdom
• Explosive Instructions Circulate on Pro-ISIS Chat on Element
• Pro-ISIS Tech Group Releases Guide for Using Android App Conversations
• Pro-ISIS Tech Group Issues Warning Regarding Custom Dictionary Files
• White Supremacist Active Club Movement Holds Annual Southern California Combat Sports and Networking Event
• Swiss Active Club Chapters Note Participation in Combat Sports Event with Blood and Honour Network
• Patriot Front and Active Club Chapter Note Disaster Response
• Patriot Front Releases Anti-Muslim Propaganda Video
• Russian Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Posts Clips from Christchurch Attack Video
• Canadian White Supremacist Telegram Channel Celebrates Stabbing at Sikh Gurdwara
• Advertisements Located on 65 Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist, and Antisemitic Telegram Channels in August

ISIS Activity Roundup

Between August 23 and 29, ISIS claimed credit for 14 attacks. The terrorist group claimed responsibility for eight attacks in Nigeria, three in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and three in Pakistan.

ISIS Al-Naba Editorial Condemns Religious Innovation

The editorial in issue 562 of ISIS’s weekly al-Naba newsletter emphasized the importance of following the correct religious path. The editorial noted the importance of love for the Prophet Muhammad, which the authors said was expressed through religious devotion and would be invalidated by adherence to any religious innovations. The editorial also claimed that some pretend to love God, but hate the Prophet. The editorial condemned anyone who made alliances with Jews or Christians.

ISIS-K-Linked Propaganda Group Releases Pamphlets Encouraging Patience and Faith and Praising Martyrdom

On August 22, the ISIS-K-linked propaganda outlet al-Azaim Media released a three-page pamphlet emphasizing the importance of patience and faith in the face of hardship. The pamphlet noted that a higher power brought all tests, and that patience, increasing religious devotion and acts, and accepting the final results were the right course of action.

On August 23, al-Azaim released a 13-page pamphlet praising martyrdom and religiously mandated fighting. The pamphlet noted the importance of fighting disbelievers, apostates, and hypocrites. It noted the necessity of fighting against tyrants and unbelievers to stop the oppression of true believers, free prisoners, and stop the defiling of sacred places. The pamphlet noted that living among unbelievers was tantamount to abandoning religion. The authors encouraged the reader to donate money to those actively engaged in fighting, noting that this was of critical importance and would result in spiritual rewards. 

Al-Azaim online pamphlet released on August 23. 

Explosive Instructions Circulate on Pro-ISIS Chat on Element

On August 23, 24, and 25, a user in a pro-ISIS chat on the Element platform shared basic instructions for making homemade explosives. The user shared two single-page guides for making nitrocellulose and one for making TATP. The chat had over 500 subscribers on August 26. The directions in all three guides were limited and did not include photos, safety tips, troubleshooting, or advice on acquiring materials. All three guides have previously circulated in pro-ISIS online spaces, with the TATP directions appearing on SimpleX Chat in August 2025.

Directions for the homemade synthesis of explosives shared on a pro-ISIS chat on the Element platform. Screenshot taken on August 25.

Pro-ISIS Tech Group Releases Guide for Using Android App Conversations

On August 26, the pro-ISIS tech group Qimam Electronic Foundation (QEF) released a guide to using the Android-based app Conversations. The post noted that the app, which uses the Jabber/XMPP protocol, is end-to-end encrypted, decentralized, and that servers could be self-hosted. The guide noted that the app was more complicated than WhatsApp and Signal and that beginners might need time to learn to use it properly.

Image from Qimam Electronic Foundation (QEF) guide on the communications app Conversations. Screenshot taken on August 27.

Pro-ISIS Tech Group Issues Warning Regarding Custom Dictionary Files

On August 25, a pro-ISIS account on RocketChat warned that the terrorist group’s online supporters could be discovered by intelligence or law enforcement agencies checking the user’s custom digital dictionary used for spellcheck. The post noted that dictionary files are based on frequently used words and that digital dictionaries can be accessed through online programs. The post warned this was especially dangerous for online ISIS supporters involved in producing propaganda, who may be creating material in multiple languages.

The post advised turning off spellcheck in both online applications and word processing software and deleting custom dictionary files. The post included links to tech and operations security advice on RocketChat and Element, as well as on a cloud-based storage platform. Security researchers have previously identified vulnerabilities in online spelling and grammar-checking software.

White Supremacist Active Club Movement Holds Annual Southern California Combat Sports and Networking Event

Telegram, Substack, X, and Instagram accounts associated with the white supremacist Active Club movement noted that the fifth annual combat sports and networking event, Frontier, was held on August 22 in Southern California. The event is hosted by the movement’s Southern California chapter and the propaganda group Will2Rise. Posts on Telegram noted the additional participation of members of Active Club chapters in Pennsylvania, Montana, Northern California, and a club for both Kansas and Missouri, as well as members of the groups Patriot Front, Wolves of Vinland, Folkish Vanguard, and the neo-Nazi skinhead gang Hammerskin Nation. The white supremacist United Youth Movement (UYC) noted that an 18-year-old member from a Nevada chapter had participated in a match.

Following established recruitment narratives, a Substack post claimed that participants had taken risks and made “personal sacrifices” to “inspire courage in others around them.” The main Will2Rise Substack was removed from the platform on August 29.

The fourth Frontier event was held on August 30, 2025, in the San Diego area.

Post from a Montana Active Club on X, celebrating participation in the fifth annual Frontier combat sports and networking event, held in Southern California. CEP researchers reported this specific X account to the platform on April 17, 2025, but it has remained online. Screenshot taken on August 27.

Swiss Active Club Chapters Note Participation in Combat Sports Event with Blood and Honour Network

On August 24, the main Swiss Active Club Telegram account noted that three group chapters in the country, representing Zurich, Ticino, and German speakers, had participated in combat sports training with members of the neo-Nazi skinhead network Blood and Honour. Photos included group members posing with Active Club flags and a Blood and Honour flag that featured the logo of the neo-Nazi terrorist organization Combat 18.

Photos posted on Swiss Active Club Telegram channel. Screenshot taken on August 24.

Patriot Front and Active Club Chapter Note Disaster Response

On August 24, Patriot Front and an Active Club representing West Virginia, Western Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky noted that they had participated in disaster relief efforts in Central West Virginia following regional flooding. The post noted that the groups provided aid including food, water, and diapers. The post stated that Active Club members had also participated in a demonstration of combat sports. 

On July 25, Patriot Front promoted the group’s disaster relief efforts in Kerr County, Texas. Patriot Front and other neo-fascist groups have previously conducted relief operations in an effort to recruit, improve their public perception, and advance the idea of a parallel society.

Patriot Front Releases Anti-Muslim Propaganda Video

On August 26, the main Patriot Front Telegram channel posted a video of a flash-mob-style demonstration held by the group on July 18 in Ottawa, Illinois, where a speaker made anti-Muslim statements. The speaker, a Patriot Front leader, repeatedly claimed that white U.S. citizens were under attack, specifically claiming that Illinois was the “target of a coordinated Muslim invasion” and denounced non-white immigration. The speaker explicitly condemned the redevelopment of a local resort, claiming that it was being turned into a Muslim-only gated community, a claim the developer previously stated was untrue. The developer also noted that their team had received threats following the allegations. The propaganda video was released during a period of rising public Islamophobia in the U.S.

Russian Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Posts Clips from Christchurch Attack Video

On August 25, a Russian neo-Nazi Telegram channel posted violent footage from the March 15, 2019 Christchurch attack. Comments on the video included users promoting violence against Muslims and messages of support for the perpetrator of the Christchurch attack. The channel administrator stated in the comments that the attack was rightful “revenge.”

The channel has over 2,000 subscribers and has advertisements enabled. The channel mainly shares video edits promoting white supremacists within the Russian armed forces and posts glorifying U.S. and European neo-Nazi groups and acts of terrorism. The channel has shared footage of Ukrainians killed during the Russian invasion.  On April 23, the channel shared violent footage from the Christchurch attack alongside gory combat footage from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, claiming that there was “no difference” and that it was essential to “kill all [sic].” 

Canadian White Supremacist Telegram Channel Celebrates Stabbing at Sikh Gurdwara

On August 21, a small Canadian white supremacist Telegram channel posted a newspaper article regarding a stabbing at a Sikh gurdwara in Edmonton, noting that Alberta was “the place to be.” On Friday, August 21, a man entered the gurdwara and reportedly stabbed two men with a screwdriver before he was restrained and arrested. The man taken into custody has no known ties to any group and has a history of violent criminal acts. The Telegram channel has almost 150 followers and has previously shared posts from a Canadian Active Club chapter.

Advertisements Located on 65 Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist, and Antisemitic Telegram Channels in August

In August 2026, CEP researchers located ads on 65 Telegram channels that promote white supremacist, neo-fascist, anti-Muslim, or antisemitic propaganda. 15 channels were affiliated with the Active Club movement, including chapters in Sweden, Norway, England, Scotland, Poland, Canada, France, and the U.S. states of Texas, Arizona, Michigan, and Wyoming. Additional Active Club channels with ads included a clothing brand, two main propaganda channels, and a movement-affiliated entity in Sweden.

Ads were also located on the main Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) Telegram channel. In 2024, the NRM was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the U.S. government. The SDGT label blocks the group’s assets in the U.S. and halts U.S. persons or commercial entities from engaging in business with the group.

Two Russian neo-Nazi channels had ads enabled. One of these channels posted a violent video clip from the March 15, 2019 Christchurch attack on August 25.

Four leaders or individual propagandists within the white power movement had ads on their channels, including the Australian neo-Nazi, Thomas Sewell. Advertisements were also found on three channels connected to the neo-fascist group Patriot Front. Other channels with ads included the main Proud Boys channel, the British group Patriotic Alternative, the main White Lives Matter movement channel, and dozens of channels that posted neo-Nazi and extreme antisemitic and anti-Muslim propaganda, meme channels, purported news channels, and two channels that share information on white power music festivals.

Telegram permits advertisements to appear on channels with over 1,000 subscribers. Payments are made in the company’s TON (Telegram Open Network) cryptocurrency. Telegram channel administrators receive half of the ad placement revenue. 

The August number of 65 channels with ads is the highest since CEP began tracking Telegram advertisements in 2025. CEP researchers located 50 channels with ads in July, the previous highest number, 47 in June, 40 in May, and 43 in April.

Advertisement on a Telegram channel belonging to a white supremacist Active Club-affiliated entity in Sweden. Screenshot taken on August 5.