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The US Justice Department says the suspects led a ‘transnational terrorist group’ to solicit hate crimes.
Two people, who prosecutors say were motivated by white supremacist ideology, used the social media messaging app Telegram to encourage acts of violence against minorities, government officials and critical infrastructure in the United States, the Justice Department said.
The defendants, Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, were identified on Monday, days after they were arrested.
They face 15 federal counts in California, including charges of soliciting hate crimes and the murder of federal officials, distributing bomb-making instructions and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho were detained on Friday. It was not immediately clear if either had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
The indictment accuses the two of leading a “transnational terrorist group” known as Terrorgram Collective which operates on Telegram and espouses white supremacist ideology.
Leaders of Transnational Terrorist Group Charged with Soliciting Hate Crimes, Soliciting the Murder of Federal Officials, and Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) September 9, 2024
Justice Department officials say the men used the app to transmit bomb-making instructions and distribute a list of potential targets for assassination – including a federal judge, a senator and a former US attorney.
Prosecutors also allege the suspect used the social media platform to celebrate people accused of acts or plots of violence, such as the stabbing last month of five people outside a mosque in Turkey.
“I think it would be difficult to overstate the danger and risks that that this group posed,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department’s top national security official, said at a news conference.
The pair’s exhortations to commit violence included statements such as “Take Action Now” and “Do your part”, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.
“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 Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, the department’s top civil rights official.
The Justice Department’s announcement comes amid elevated fears of political violence ahead of the US presidential election in November, in which Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is running against former Republican President Donald Trump.
The founder and CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was detained by French authorities last month on charges of allowing the platform’s use for criminal activity. Durov has denied the charges.
