The U.S. Adds Terrorgram and Its Three Leaders to the List of 'Special Global Terrorists'

On Monday, the United States added the extremist online network 'Terrorgram' and three of its leaders to the 'Special Global Terrorists' list. The U.S. State Department announced in a statement that the 2022 shooting outside a nightclub in Slovakia, a planned attack in 2024 on an energy facility in New Jersey, and a knife attack outside a mosque in Turkey last summer are among the attacks influenced by 'Terrorgram' propaganda. Promoting violent white supremacy, encouraging attacks on those deemed 'enemies,' and providing guidance and educational materials on tactics, methods, and targets of attack, including critical civilian infrastructure and government officials, are among the accusations against 'Terrorgram.' As a result of Monday's sanctions, the group's assets in the United States will be frozen, and American citizens will be prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group. According to the U.S. State Department statement, the sanctioned leaders of this group are based in three countries: Brazil, Croatia, and South Africa. U.S. prosecutors also filed criminal charges against two leaders of 'Terrorgram' last summer. They stated that these individuals abused 'Telegram' to encourage attacks against Black people, Jews, LGBTQ community members, and immigrants in order to ignite racial war. The UK also announced earlier this spring that it classifies the entirety of 'Terrorgram' as a terrorist group, thus membership or promotion of it will be considered a criminal act. Joe Biden has addressed the issue of groups and individuals promoting white supremacy during his presidency. In his first year in the White House, he launched the 'U.S. National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism,' aimed at identifying and prosecuting threats and creating deterrents to prevent American citizens from joining dangerous groups. 31 members of an extremist group in Idaho were arrested, and four extremist groups are suspected of playing a role in violent protests.