Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen Delivers Remarks Announcing Charges Against Leaders of Transnational Terrorist Group

Good afternoon. I’m Matt Olsen, and I am the Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

For the National Security Division protecting Americans from terrorism and violent extremist threats is at the core of our mission. Every day, NSD’s Counterterrorism Section works with our partners to protect our citizens from terrorists and domestic violent extremists who seek to promote violence and violate the law. 

The National Security Division is here today, joining our partners in the Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, and the FBI — because these defendants stand charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, in addition to the hate crimes charges already outlined by Assistant Attorney General Clarke.

As alleged, Humber and Allison, the leaders of Terrorgram, conspired to solicit and provide material support to carry out attacks on federal officials and critical government infrastructure. And they provided detailed instructions for carrying out those attacks.

The defendants were motivated by their ideology of white supremacy and accelerationism — an ideology centered on the belief that the white race is superior and that violence and terrorism are necessary to ignite a race war and accelerate the collapse of the government.

In soliciting attacks on politicians and government officials, the defendants disseminated a list of “high value targets” for assassination. “The List” included the targets’ names, photographs, and home addresses. When disseminating The List, Allison encouraged users to “Take Action Now” and “Do Your Part.”

And the defendants sought to bring about mass casualty attacks and attacks on critical infrastructure to achieve their goal of causing societal collapse. As alleged in the indictment, Terrorgram targets critical infrastructure as a way to destroy citizens’ basic sense of public safety in order to further accelerationist objectives.

In January of last year, Humber celebrated an attack on an energy substation, praising the Terrogram network for its “hard work” to encourage others to carry out such attacks by demonstrating “how easy it is not only to do, but to get away with.”

In addition to soliciting, supporting, and celebrating attacks on critical infrastructure, Humber and Allison disseminated instructional manuals and videos to equip Terrorgram users to carry out the most lethal and effective attacks, including an instructional video called “How to Make a Letter Bomb.” 

And they called on followers in the Terrorgram network to conduct attacks to “fumigate” cities, which to them, meant targeting and killing people based on their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

These are not mere words. Terrorgram users have carried out, or planned, attacks after being guided by Terrorgram publications and instructional videos.

In October 2022, a 19-year-old in Bratislava, Slovakia, murdered two people and shot a third at an LGBT bar. The perpetrator wrote a manifesto, thanking Terrorgram for inspiring and guiding him. 

In July of this year, another individual in the United States who was active in Terrorgram group chats, was arrested for plotting an attack on an energy facility in New Jersey. Fortunately, the FBI was able to identify and disrupt that plot in time.

And just last month, an 18-year-old from Turkey livestreamed himself stabbing five people outside a mosque in that country. The attacker shared multiple Terrorgram publications with others before committing the attack and Humber later posted in a Terrorgram group chat that “he was 100% our guy.”

Today’s charges underscore the National Security Division’s commitment to stopping acts of terrorism, whether domestic or international. The charges also demonstrate the Justice Department’s resolve to bring every available tool to bear in countering these threats. 

As part of our important work, we have unfortunately encountered numerous instances involving domestic violent extremists motivated by the hateful ideology of white supremacy, including perpetrators of tragic lethal attacks.

I am grateful for the strength of the partnership between the National Security Division and the Civil Rights Division in ensuring we bring the most effective charges available — whether it be hate crimes, terrorism offenses, or both — to seek justice and hold perpetrators accountable.

I want to thank Assistant Attorney General Clarke of the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert, our Counterterrorism Section and the dedicated prosecutors in these offices. I would also like to thank the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office and Domestic Terrorism Operations Section for their hard work in disrupting this dangerous online network.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

Source: Justice.gov