DOJ charges leaders of white supremacist ‘Terrorgram’ chat group accused of encouraging hate crimes, murders
Federal prosecutors on Monday announced charges against two people for their alleged involvement in a white supremacist Telegram group that was used to spread hateful content and stir up a race war.
Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, are charged with a 15-count indictment for soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support for terrorists, the Department of Justice announced in a press release.
Law enforcement officials arrested Humber and Allison on Friday, the DOJ said.
According to the indictment, Humber and Allison were leaders of the "Terrorgram Collective," a transnational terrorist group that operated on Telegram.
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Federal prosecutors say the channel was used to promote "white supremacist accelerationism" and the idea that violence and terrorism were "necessary to ignite a race war and accelerate the collapse of the government and the rise of a white ethnostate."
The indictment accuses the two of soliciting followers via the Telegram channel to attack perceived enemies of white people, including government buildings and energy facilities and "high-value" targets, such as politicians.
Their incitement to violence included statements such as "Take Action Now" and "Do your part," and users who carried out acts to further white supremacy were told they could become known as "Saints," prosecutors said.
DOJ officials said the pair used the app to transmit bomb-making instructions and to distribute a list of potential targets for assassination — including a federal judge, a senator and a former U.S. attorney — and to celebrate acts or plots from active "Terrorgram" users.
"Today’s arrests are a warning that committing hate-fueled crimes in the darkest corners of the internet will not hide you, and soliciting terrorist attacks from behind a screen will not protect you," Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "The United States Department of Justice will find you, and we will hold you accountable."
Humber pleaded not guilty in a Sacramento courtroom Monday to the charges. Fox News Digital reached out to her attorney for comment.
It was not immediately clear if Allison had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Telegram, but did not immediately hear back.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.