Federal authorities say white supremacists used Telegram to incite attacks

Two leaders of a white supremacist group that used Telegram to spread its ideology and coordinate activities have been charged with terrorism and hate crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday.

The suspects, Dallas Humber of California and Matthew Allison of Idaho, were arrested last week in connection with their alleged roles in leading the transnational group Terrorogram Collective.

According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, they allegedly used the app to encourage hate crimes and provide guidance and instructions for terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure and assassinations of government officials.

According to the indictment, Humber and Allison used Telegram to promote a white supremacist ideology, spreading the message that society is corrupt and beyond redemption, and that violence and terrorism are necessary to incite racial warfare.

The leaders of the Terrorgram Collective shared videos and posts in their Telegram channels and group chats that incited attacks on “black, immigrant, LGBT and Jewish people.”

They also provided a hit list of “key targets” for assassination, including U.S. federal, state and local officials, as well as leaders of private companies and nongovernmental organizations.

International law enforcement agencies also arrested other individuals allegedly inspired or directed by Humber and Allison, including an individual who shot three people outside an LGBTQ+ bar in Slovakia and an individual suspected of stabbing five victims near a mosque in Turkey.

If Humber and Allison are found guilty of all charges, they both face life in prison.

“Hate crimes fueled by bigotry and white supremacy, and amplified by the weaponization of digital messaging platforms, are on the rise and have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

The charges come as Telegram — and its lack of moderation — is in the spotlight. Its founder, Pavel Durov, was arrested in Paris in August and is now formally investigated for a range of offences, including complicity in facilitating the distribution of child pornography and drug sales on the platform.

“There is no doubt that various harmful forms of organised crime are facilitated to varying degrees by large social networks,” the Geneva-based non-profit Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said after Durov’s arrest.

“The crimes enabled by online platforms are diverse and the private sector is clearly not doing enough to keep its house in order.”

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