Two men were charged for using Telegram to incite racist attacks, revealing the dark side of encrypted communication.
At a Glance
- Two men were arrested for promoting violence motivated by white supremacist ideology.
- They used Telegram to encourage attacks on minorities, officials, and infrastructure.
- The defendants face 15 federal counts, including hate crimes and terrorism support.
- The case highlights challenges in monitoring hate speech on encrypted platforms.
Arrest and Charges
Two individuals, Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, were arrested for promoting violence motivated by white supremacist ideology. The charges include using Telegram’s encrypted features to spread malicious messages and incite attacks against minorities, government officials, and critical infrastructure in the U.S. Both men face 15 federal counts in California, including soliciting hate crimes, murder of federal officials, distributing bomb-making instructions, and conspiring to support terrorists.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen emphasized the significant danger posed by the group, noting their influence and the scope of their plans. “I think it would be difficult to overstate the danger and risks that this group posed,” he said. Humber, 34, from Elk Grove, California, and Allison, 37, from Boise, Idaho, allegedly led a group known as the Terrorgram Collective, which operates on Telegram and promotes white supremacist ideology.
Exploiting Secure Communication
The indictment claims they transmitted bomb-making instructions and distributed a list of assassination targets, including a federal judge, a senator, and a former U.S. attorney. They allegedly celebrated acts of violence, such as a stabbing incident outside a mosque in Turkey. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated the department’s commitment to holding perpetrators accountable, even those hiding behind computer screens. “Today’s action makes clear that the department will hold perpetrators accountable, including those who hide behind computer screens, in seeking to carry out bias-motivated violence,” said Clarke.
US authorities charge two men for encouraging racist attacks on Telegram https://t.co/FJAVb7LLq9
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 10, 2024
The charges highlight the growing challenge that encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram present to law enforcement. Telegram, known for its strong encryption features, has been scrutinized for being used by extremists and criminals. Despite claims by Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, of enhancing efforts to combat criminal activity on the platform, the misuse continues. Telegram spokesman Remi Vaughn defended the platform’s stance, stating, “Calls to violence have no place on Telegram’s platform. Moderators removed several channels that used variations of the ‘Terrorgram’ name when they were discovered years ago.”
Rising Threat of Digital Extremism
The Terrorgram Collective advocates for a race war to establish a white ethnostate. The UK government designated the group as a terrorist organization in April. The group’s digital presence underscores the evolving nature of threats in the modern age. “Today’s indictment charges the defendants with leading a transnational terrorist group dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes – all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland noted in a released statement Monday.
In addition to individual acts of violence, the group aims to ignite a race war, accelerating the collapse of government and society. The defendants encouraged followers to commit violence with statements like “Take Action Now” and “Do your part.” They created and promoted a document justifying their ideology and providing detailed instructions for terror attacks. Federal agents recently foiled a planned attack on an energy facility in New Jersey by an 18-year-old, emphasizing the group’s far-reaching influence.
Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, reiterated the government’s evolving strategy to confront and counteract these digital threats, emphasizing their commitment to dismantling such networks and holding all perpetrators accountable, regardless of anonymity or encryption.
