US Accuses Two Individuals of Using Telegram to Plot Racist Terrorist Attacks

The United States Department of Justice announced on Monday that two individuals were arrested for using the messaging app Telegram to encourage violent actions against minorities, government officials, and critical infrastructure in the US. According to the Associated Press, the defendants, Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, face 15 federal charges in the Eastern District of California, and prosecutors state that they have an ideological motivation of 'white supremacy.' The charges against them include soliciting hate crimes, requesting the killing of federal officials, disseminating bomb-making instructions, and conspiring to provide tangible and intangible support to terrorists. Humber, 34, from Elk Grove, California, and Allison, 37, from Boise, Idaho, were arrested on Friday. It is still unclear whether they have legal representation. The indictment accuses them of leading a transnational group known as 'Terrorgram,' which operates on Telegram and supports the ideology of 'white supremacy' and violence by its followers. US Department of Justice officials say these individuals used Telegram to send bomb-making instructions, distribute a list of potential assassination targets—including a federal judge, a senator, and a former US attorney—and to praise individuals accused of previous violent acts or plots. These praises included the knife attack last month on five people outside a mosque in Turkey and the commemoration of an 18-year-old arrested last July for planning an attack on a power station to advance white supremacist views. According to an indictment unveiled on Monday, their recommendations to their followers for committing violence included phrases like 'act now' and 'do your part.' Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the US Department of Justice, stated, 'Today's action makes clear that this department will hold accountable perpetrators of crime, including those who hide behind computer screens and seek to commit violence motivated by discrimination.' French authorities detained Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, last month on charges of allowing the use of the app for 'criminal activities.' Durov responded to these allegations by stating that he should not have been targeted personally. The announcement of the US government's strategy to combat white supremacy was also highlighted, along with Durov's first response after his temporary release, suggesting that instead of arresting him, they should have sued Telegram. Durov was released after four days of questioning but is not allowed to leave France. A racist attacker in Texas was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences. The President of the United States stated that confronting 'the poison of white supremacy' in America is essential.