Octopus Overlords

A Justice Department (DOJ) release states 24-year-old Ethan Melzer, a man from Louisville, Ky., pleaded guilty in June to trying to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support for terrorists and illegally transmitting national defense information.

Court documents state Melzer planned the attack in the days before being deployed to Turkey and sent details about his unit like its location, movements and security, to a white supremacist, neo-Nazi, pro-jihadist group called the Order of the Nine Angles.
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Melzer joined the Army around 2018 in an effort to infiltrate it as a member of the order, according to the DOJ.

After the Army told Melzer around May 2020 that he was going to be reassigned to a unit scheduled for foreign deployment, he gave information about the unit to the organization, using an encrypted messaging application to plan an attack on the other soldiers in the unit, per the department.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 1:07 pm The Hill: Former soldier sentenced to 45 years for planning ‘jihadist attack’ on his Army unit

A Justice Department (DOJ) release states 24-year-old Ethan Melzer, a man from Louisville, Ky., pleaded guilty in June to trying to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support for terrorists and illegally transmitting national defense information.

Court documents state Melzer planned the attack in the days before being deployed to Turkey and sent details about his unit like its location, movements and security, to a white supremacist, neo-Nazi, pro-jihadist group called the Order of the Nine Angles.
...
Melzer joined the Army around 2018 in an effort to infiltrate it as a member of the order, according to the DOJ.

After the Army told Melzer around May 2020 that he was going to be reassigned to a unit scheduled for foreign deployment, he gave information about the unit to the organization, using an encrypted messaging application to plan an attack on the other soldiers in the unit, per the department.

In early autumn of 2018 an anonymous document began to circulate within occult and musical underground circles accusing Newcastle-born artist and musician Richard Moult of using his connections with respected leftfield musicians to gain a wider audience for the Order of Nine Angles. Usually photographed in unassuming knitwear and spectacles, Moult is an accomplished, well-regarded musician; he was a regular member of Irish avant-folk band United Bible Studies and his own music has appeared on labels including A Year in The Country and Fort Evil Fruit. For at least two decades, however, Moult, under pseudonyms including Christos Beest, Beesty Boy and Audun, was a core member of The Order of Nine Angles, and for some years effectively ran it as its 'Outer Representative', training and initiating new members, editing its journal, Fenrir, and "giving a direction to [its] strategies".

Moult publicly left the O9A in 2001, but according to the circulated PDF, he returned in 2008, at a time when he was actively involved with United Bible Studies and other musicians – some of whom he collaborates with to this day. In The Dreccian Way, a handbook for the new generation of O9A members dated "yf 120" (2009), one of Moult's O9A aliases, 'Audun', sets out the goals for the revitalised organisation:

"At this time of writing the ONA is concerned with several major undertakings in preparedness for the return of the Dark Gods, three of which are… to create new forms, in image, word and musick, which depict and presence the manifesting acausal dark – the essence of the Dark Gods."

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 4:42 pm I'd have gone with something involving Jutes.

Nearly three dozen people have been detained after flaming bottles and rocks were thrown at officers during a violent protest at a new police training center that's been the site of prior demonstrations and the death of a protester, Atlanta police said.
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Authorities charged 23 people with domestic terrorism in connection with the protest, according to the Atlanta Police Department. The protesters facing charges, whose names and photographs were published by law enforcement online, are from various states across the U.S. as well as Canada and France, according to police. Their ages range from 18 years old to nearly 50. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation filed all charges.

In a statement, police called the incident "a coordinated attack" on equipment and officers by individuals who they allege "used the cover of a peaceful protest" to access the premises before changing "into black clothing and entering the construction area."
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In January, a 26-year-old environmental activist was shot to death by law officers in the forest where the training center is being built.

As concerned civil liberties and human rights organizations, we write to you today to urge you to drop the domestic terrorism and other spurious charges brought against Defend the Atlanta Forest protesters. These charges represent a political decision divorced from any salient public safety concern. We write to you with concerns that charging any protest-related offenses that may have been committed as domestic terrorism will, or are indeed intended, to chill lawful protests, constrain civic space, and erode First Amendment freedoms.

As this letter went to press, 19 people are facing domestic terrorism charges for protest-related offenses, either associated with the Defend the Atlanta Forest occupation at the planned site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center or related to protests in Atlanta following the police killing of Tortuguita.[1] These charges represent a political decision to pursue draconian charges disproportionate to the alleged offenses committed. In order to avoid downstream adverse effects on First Amendment freedoms, these charges must be dropped.

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 8:18 pm FWIW while I don't approve of their methods int the protests there, the overcharging in Georgia should concern us. Sone of these people are facing charges with penalties up to 35 years for what amounts to trespassing in some cases. The stories from the media about this have been as typical cop propaganda and laden with misinformation.

Ohio law enforcement issued a report late last month warning that events planned in East Palestine by the environmental activist Erin Brockovich could prompt a terrorist threat from violent extremists, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by Yahoo News.

Dated Feb. 24 and distributed to law enforcement agencies by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Ohio Statewide Terrorism Analysis & Crime Center Terrorism Analysis Unit Situational Awareness [STACC TAU] report obtained by Yahoo News "assesses that special interest extremist groups will continue to call for changes in governmental policy, which may lead to protests in/around East Palestine and/or at the Statehouse in Columbus.”

The report then singles out the reaction by Brockovich, a whistleblower who helped build a successful lawsuit against the California utility company Pacific Gas and Electric in a case involving contaminated groundwater, to the Feb. 3 train derailment and release of toxic chemicals in East Palestine.

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This situational awareness report is highly problematic, said former FBI agent Mike German, who worked on a recent Brennan Center report about issues with DHS fusion centers.

“Obviously, there is no reason to have included Erin Brockovich's name or a description of her advocacy in a law enforcement intelligence report, much less a ‘situational awareness’ report by a state fusion center's terrorism analysis unit,” German told Yahoo News. “Almost all of the activity described in this report is rightly protected by the First Amendment and poses no threat of harm, and therefore should be of no interest to terrorism intelligence units.”

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:54 pm I don't know enough to know about Georgia or potential in Ohio but I for the life of me can't see how those protests, even if planned violent can be domestic terrorism and 1/6 isn't. And taking out power substations isn't.

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:42 pm Yeah - FWIW there is *also* a chance of this happening in East Palestine where folks are protesting the Norfolk derailment. It's obviously not as serious but that they are flinging this domestic terrorism stuff around while white supremacists (and their murder sprees and bombings) are our chief problem...is exactly what I expect in this off the rails nation.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:23 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:42 pm Yeah - FWIW there is *also* a chance of this happening in East Palestine where folks are protesting the Norfolk derailment. It's obviously not as serious but that they are flinging this domestic terrorism stuff around while white supremacists (and their murder sprees and bombings) are our chief problem...is exactly what I expect in this off the rails nation.

Don't think I didn't catch that.

CW for thread: Language and violence

Several anti-drag groups including avowed Neo-Nazis, "White Lives Matter," Proud Boys, Patriot Front, and non-affiliated conservative activists protested outside a drag show today at a public park in Wadsworth, Ohio.

"Pedophiles get the rope!" chanted an armed neo-Nazi group waving swastika flags at the families attending the all-ages event. "F***s go home!"

"Sieg Heil," they chanted while pointing stiff-arm salutes at attendees. "There will be blood!"

"Hey, there's a gay n****r right there!" yelled one of them.

The Proud Boys were also at the anti-drag protest in Ohio today, but tried to distance themselves from the avowed Nazi groups.

"We're all here for the same reason," a 'White Lives Matter Ohio' guy said.

"We are, but go over that way," PB replied.

"They're civic nationalists," explained a WLM guy. "We're white nationalists!"

WLM said they'd like to be in coalition: "Yeah, I'll beat up Antifa in the woods with them."

A III% supporter stood with the WLM guys. I tried to ask him why he stands with them, and they told him not to talk to me, explaining "He's just looking for information!" before calling me a "F****t."

Unagi wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:56 am Who let all this riff-raff into the room?!

LordMortis wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 10:43 am

Unagi wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:56 am Who let all this riff-raff into the room?!

Do you suppose they see "Waiting for the Worms" as an anthem? Maybe Trump should see if Roger Waters and Pink Floyd would let them play it for free at his rallies.

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:30 am Did I correctly hear, "Weimar conditions, Weimar solution"?

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:39 pm

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:30 am Did I correctly hear, "Weimar conditions, Weimar solution"?

You did indeed.

Something unpleasant is definitely coming. The Nazis are emboldened and no one seems to be ready to stand up to them.

I get our devotion to free speech but at some point society needs to deal with credible threats of violence and genocide.

Proud Boys bloodied and jailed during NYC drag queen story hour protest

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"I came here to help, not get the shit beat out of me," [the Proud Boy] says.

The shocking incident took place on Sunday morning near Brownsville’s Ozanam Center, which is a shelter for migrants and homeless in the Texas city.

Police spokesperson Lt Martin Sandoval told KVEO-TV that seven victims died at the scene. The crash took place at a bus stop near the shelter in the border city at around 8.30am CT.
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The male suspect, who has not yet been named but has been described by police as Hispanic, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, but Lt Sandoval told the news station that more charges will likely be filed.
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Luis Herrera told the news channel that he and his friends, a number of whom were killed, were waiting to go to the airport when they were struck by the vehicle.

“We were going to the airport and it happened unexpectedly because a woman in a car passed by and advised us to separate and moments later the killer was coming in the car gesturing and insulting us,” Mr Herrera said.
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The facility had not received any threats before the crash, but Mr Maldonado said it had in the wake of the accident.

“I’ve had a couple of people come by the gate and tell the security guard that the reason this happened was because of us,” Mr Maldonado said.

The man who drove a vehicle into a group of people near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, killing eight and injuring 10 more, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter, Brownsville Police chief Felix Sauceda said Monday.

The driver was identified as George Alvarez, a 34-year-old with an extensive rap sheet, including prior charges of assault and driving while intoxicated, according to police. The vehicle he was driving ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit a total of 18 people, the chief said. Alvarez then tried to flee the scene before he was detained by bystanders, police said.

He was charged on the manslaughter counts as well as 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bond was set at $3.6 million, the chief said. Police said they are still investigating the cause of the crash.

A social media page appearing to belong to a gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area outlet mall shared extremist beliefs with rants against Jews, women and racial minorities posted since September, as well as posts about struggling with mental health.

Mauricio Garcia, 33, maintained a profile on the Russian social networking platform OK.RU, including posts referencing extremist online forums, such as 4chan, and content from white nationalists, including Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic white nationalist provocateur

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He also posted photos of a flak vest emblazoned with patches, including one with the acronym for "Right Wing Death Squad," a popular meme among far-right extremist groups. Another post included a series of shirtless pictures with visible white power tattoos, including SS Lightning Bolts and a swastika.

He also served in the military for three months but was removed due to physical or mental health conditions, an army spokesperson said.

The US is at an increased risk of domestic terror attacks by rightwing “lone wolf” actors, experts have warned, as inflammatory Republican rhetoric around a variety of issues seems likely to continue ahead of the 2024 election.

The number of attacks by adherents to rightwing ideology has soared since 2016, as Republican lies about election interference, and escalating rhetoric from the right about minority groups, have served to “provide mechanisms” for individuals to become radicalized, an analyst said.

As the threat of domestic rightwing terrorism rises, researchers say individuals, rather than organized groups, are now far more likely to commit what analysts call “crimes inspired by extremist ideology”.

But despite the FBI and US intelligence pronouncements, a major problem with combating rightwing terrorism is that law enforcement does not adequately track of instances of violence, said Michael German, a former FBI special agent infiltrated white supremacy groups in the 1990s who now works at the Brennan Center for Justice.

“The FBI doesn’t know how many people white supremacists killed last year in the United States. They don’t collect that information,” German said.

When attacks by white supremacists do happen, “they often get parsed in a way that minimizes them,” he said. White supremacist violence is frequently recorded under the category of gang violence, rather than domestic terrorism, while attacks conducted by individuals who have far-right beliefs are frequently classified as hate crimes – outside of the domestic terrorism umbrella.

“You would think that if the FBI and the justice department had a real interest in significantly suppressing this type of crime, they would at least count them,” German said.