Search Results for: atomwaffen

Baltimore County woman indicted in plot to attack power grid charged for illegally possessing gun – #terror #awd #atomwaffendivision

Federal authorities charged on Tuesday a Baltimore County woman with neo-Nazi ties whom they previously accused of plotting to attack Baltimore’s power grid with possessing a firearm despite knowing she was legally barred from doing so. Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 35, of Catonsville, was indicted in February 2023 of conspiring with Brandon Clint Russell, 28, of Florida, to blow up five electrical substations in Baltimore and Harford counties, according to FBI agents and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Conspiring to damage an energy facility comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years. Last month, a federal judge set a July 8 trial date. Both defendants pleaded not guilty during their March 2023 arraignment. On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney charged Clendaniel with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to court documents. Neither the U.S. Attorney’s office nor Clendaniel’s federal public defender immediately answered a request for comment. Clendaniel is currently being held in the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup, according to the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Clendaniel possessed a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun “on or about Feb. 3, 2023,” when FBI agents arrested her and Russell, according to a new charging document. She possessed the gun despite knowing she was prohibited because she had previously been convicted of a crime for which she had served more than a year in prison, according to the document. According to the original charging documents, Clendaniel had plotted to carry out the attacks on substations in Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall using a shotgun and a handgun. Authorities said they would forfeit after conviction the shotgun, along with a 9mm “ghost gun” pistol; 77 shotgun cartridges; 3 Glock 9mm magazines; and over 1500 rounds of ammunition, according to the new charging document. Clendaniel has not yet been indicted for the new firearm charge. Russell, who is originally from the Bahamas, was sentenced in 2017 on federal explosive charges. He is the founder of Atomwaffen Division, a violent neo-Nazi hate group that authorities have tied to five murders.

via baltimoresun: Baltimore County woman indicted in plot to attack power grid charged for illegally possessing gun

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Accused neo-Nazi’s trial begins in connection to killing of gay Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein – #awd #atomwaffendivision

The opening statements in the trial of the man accused of murdering a young gay Jewish student, Blaze Bernstein, in an Orange County park are scheduled for delivery in a California courtroom on Tuesday. Prosecutors are seeking a hate crime enhancement to the murder charge. Samuel Woodward, now 26, a reported member of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, is accused of stabbing Bernstein to death and burying his body in a park early in January 2018. Bernstein, a 19-year-old student at UPenn, was home on holiday visiting family in Lake Forest when he was killed. His body was found the following week on January 9 buried in a shallow grave in Borrego Park in the Foothill Ranch neighborhood. An autopsy revealed he had been stabbed about 20 times. Woodward became an immediate suspect in the case. The two young men had communicated on the night of Bernstein’s disappearance, and investigators questioned Woodward after encountering him days later in Borrego Park. At the time, Woodward admitted he had been with Bernstein on the evening he went missing, saying he became angry and the pair split up after Bernstein tried to kiss him. At the time, police noted Woodward had dirt under his fingernails and scratches on his arms. They later reportedly found in his possession a knife and sleeping bag stained with Bernstein’s blood. (…) Woodward identified as a member of the neo-Nazi online group Atomwaffen Division as early as 2016, according to Pro Publica. He reportedly traveled to Texas to attend a three-day training program in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, outdoor survival tactics, and more. His social media was reportedly littered with anti-LGBTQ+, racist, and anti-Semitic posts. One of the group’s founding members was charged with murdering his two roommates and group members in 2018. A dispute allegedly broke out between the three men after the reported killer, 18-year-old Devon Arthurs, converted to Islam. Bernstein and Woodward allegedly communicated online prior to meeting in person on January 2. Despite his extremist views, rumors had swirled at OCSA about Woodward’s sexual identity, with many suspecting he was gay and in the closet. Bernstein found his profile on a dating app, “superliked” Woodward’s photo, and the pair soon started chatting.

via advocate: Accused neo-Nazi’s trial begins in connection to killing of gay Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein

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Für den Frieden: KI setzt in Kriegssimulation Atomwaffen ein

US-Forscher haben untersucht, wie sich große Sprachmodelle in der Simulation eines fiktiven politischen Konflikts verhalten. Die Ergebnisse sind beunruhigend. Forscher des Georgia Institute of Technology, der Stanford University, der Northeastern University und der Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Simulation Initiative haben das “Eskalations-Risiko” untersucht, das entsteht, wenn große Sprachmodelle militärische und diplomatische Entscheidungen treffen würden. Dafür prüften sie das Verhalten von fünf technisch führenden großen Sprachmodellen in fiktiven Krisenszenarien. Alle fünf Modelle zeigten dabei “schwer vorhersagbare Eskalationsmuster” schreiben Juan-Pablo Rivera und Kollegen in ihrem Paper, das auf der Preprint-Plattform arXiv.org veröffentlicht wurde. In Extremfällen setzen die Modelle auch Atomwaffen ein. (…) Dabei stellten die Forscher unabhängig vom Szenario fest, dass alle KI-Modelle zu einer Wettrüstungsdynamik neigen. Vor allem bei GPT-3.5 gefolgt von GPT-4 war die Entwicklung der Eskalation am stärksten, während sich Claude-2.0 und Llama-2-Chat tendenziell friedlicher verhielten. Besonders irritiert zeigte sich das Forschungsteam jedoch von plötzlich auftretenden Sprüngen im Eskalations-Score, die scheinbar ohne jede Vorwarnung auftreten konnten und Szenarien, in denen die Modelle mit kruden Begründungen, wie “Wir haben Atomwaffen, also sollten wir sie auch nutzen”, einer klassischen Erstschlagslogik folgten – den Konflikt also maximal zu eskalieren, um sie über die Vernichtung des Gegners zu deeskalieren.

via heise: Für den Frieden: KI setzt in Kriegssimulation Atomwaffen ein

Atomic cloud over Hiroshima - NARA 542192 - Edit.jpg
By <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:George_R._Caron” class=”extiw” title=”w:en:George R. Caron”><span title=”US Army Air Force soldier”>George R. Caron</span></a> – This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. <span style=”white-space:nowrap”>A normal <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Commons:Copyright_tags” title=”Special:MyLanguage/Commons:Copyright tags”>copyright tag</a> is still required.</span> <span style=”white-space:nowrap”>See <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Commons:Licensing” title=”Special:MyLanguage/Commons:Licensing”>Commons:Licensing</a>.</span>, Public Domain, Link

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2 #Ontario men accused of belonging to neo-Nazi #terrorism group – #awd #atomwaffendivision

The RCMP have charged two Ontario men with “knowingly” participating in an international neo-Nazi group listed as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. The two men – who were not named by the RCMP’s Ontario national security division – are accused of creating terrorist propaganda and recruiting videos for Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group founded in the United States in 2013 and has spread internationally. Court documents obtained by Global News list the accused as Matthew Albert Althorpe of Thorold and Kristopher Erik Nippak of East York. The RCMP’s Ontario Division confirmed the men’s names Friday afternoon. The RCMP said the two men are accused of participating in the creation of manifestos for the “Terrorgram Collective” – a loose association of far-right extremists that organize using encrypted messaging facilitated by the Telegram app. According to court documents, the 18-month investigation followed Althorpe and Nippak from locations in both Québec and Ontario, and covered alleged offences dating back to April 2018. Both men are accused of knowingly participating in the activities of a terrorist group, while Althorpe faces a number of other charges including three counts of hate crime offences, facilitating terrorist activity, and instructing a person to carry out a terrorist activity, among other charges. Atomwaffen Division was listed as a terrorist group by the Canadian government in early 2021. The international neo-Nazi group was founded in 2013 in the U.S., and has since expanded to the U.K., Canada and Germany, according to the Canadian government.

via globalnews: 2 Ontario men accused of belonging to neo-Nazi terrorism group

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„Eindeutiges Signal“ – Bayerischer AfD-Mann bei rechtsextremer #Burschenschaft – #Halemba #AWD #AtomwaffenDivision #Frankonia #NordWürttembergSturm

Rechtsextremisten treffen sich in Erlangen bei einer Burschenschaft. Auch Bayerns jüngster Oppositioneller Daniel Halemba von der AfD taucht dort auf. Im vierstöckigen Gebäude in der Loewenichstraße 16 in Erlangen weht eine Fahne im Wind, die an das Kaiserreich erinnert. Fast alle Jalousien sind heruntergezogen. Offenbar soll geheim bleiben, was sich dort hinter den Mauern der rechtsextremen Burschenschaft Frankonia abspielt oder wer sich im Haus aufhält. Doch vollständig können sich die Besucher der Öffentlichkeit nicht entziehen. Denn vor den Räumlichkeiten liegen Polizisten, Journalisten und vermutlich auch Verfassungsschützer auf der Lauer. In der Vergangenheit gingen hier bekannte Rechtextremisten, Neonazis und Verschwörungsideologen ein und aus. AfD-Politiker Halemba darf Mitglieder seiner Würzburger Burschenschaft nicht mehr treffen So war es wohl auch am vorvergangenen Samstag, als sich einer der umstrittensten Parlamentarier Bayerns zu der undurchsichtigen Studentenverbindung aufmachte. Seine eigene Würzburger Burschenschaft Teutonia Prag darf der AfD-Abgeordnete Daniel Halemba nicht mehr besuchen, möglicherweise hat es ihn auch deshalb nach Erlangen verschlagen. Verboten ist es ihm ebenso, die Mitglieder seiner Gruppierung zu treffen, so die Auflage der Staatsanwaltschaft, sonst muss er in Untersuchungshaft. Gegen den 22-Jährigen, der erst seit Kurzem für die AfD im Bayerischen Landtag sitzt, wird wegen Volksverhetzung und der Verwendung von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger Organisationen ermittelt. (…) Statt seine eigenen Burschenschaftler zu treffen, fuhr Halemba also knapp 100 Kilometer südöstlich zur Frankonia in Erlangen. Mit den Mitgliedern stehe er auch im Austausch, wie zwei Szene-Insider, die vor Ort waren, der Abendzeitung berichten. Bei dem Termin versammelten sich neben zwei Vorstandsmitgliedern der Jungen Alternative auch Neonazis. Darunter der Geschäftsführer eines Unternehmens für Nazi-Utensilien und die Musiker einer Rechtsrockband. Fotos belegen, dass Halemba die Örtlichkeit mit Sympathisanten der Kameradschaft „Nord Württemberg Sturm“ aufsuchte. Dazu bezog er auf Abendzeitung -Anfrage keine Stellung. Diese Gruppierung sei laut Landesverfassungsschutz in Baden-Württemberg „neonazistisch geprägt“. Ihre Anhänger rekrutieren und radikalisieren junge Erwachsene über das Internet. SPD-Abgeordneter zeigt sich über das Treffen empört Die Fotos und Videos, die rechtsextreme Organisationen aus diesem Spektrum auf Messengerdiensten einsetzen, ähneln in ihrer Ästhetik denen der rechtsterroristischen Atomwaffendivision. Diese ursprünglich aus den USA stammende Organisation möchte gewalttätig die Herrschaft der „weißen“ Rasse herbeiführen.

via focus: „Eindeutiges Signal“ Bayerischer AfD-Mann bei rechtsextremer Burschenschaft

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‘A New Image of Terror and Dread’: The Significance Of Dark Foreigner’s Arrest – #terror #awd #atomwaffendivision

On 5 July 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested Patrick Gordon Macdonald, known in accelerationist circles by his digital alias, Dark Foreigner. Macdonald worked for years as a crucial neo-Nazi propagandist and played an instrumental role in crafting the visual aesthetic that, at one point, defined militant accelerationist networks like Atomwaffen Division, The Base, Sonnenkrieg Division, Feuerkrieg Division, and the Order of Nine Angles (O9A) offshoot, Tempel ov Blood. Macdonald’s infamous propaganda, designed to incite others to violence, amplified the preexisting violent narratives in militant accelerationist propaganda and bolstered recruitment efforts for less effective militant accelerationist networks. In essence, his contributions were a critical mechanism that made accelerationist recruitment and propaganda efforts more capable and sophisticated.  Macdonald’s arrest signals a clear change in how Canadian and Western law enforcement are approaching militant accelerationism; the RCMP stated that this “is the first [case] in Canada in which an individual advocating a violent far-right ideology has been charged with both terrorism and hate propaganda.” According to the RCMP, Macdonald “allegedly participated in and facilitated the creation, production and distribution of three terrorist propaganda videos”—material the RCMP claims “was intended to promote the group and recruit members, and encourages the commission of terrorist activities.” Dark Foreigner has long been a subject of focus and monitoring for researchers at the Accelerationism Research Consortium (ARC), and our findings support the allegations of criminal wrongdoing by the RCMP.  In 2021, VICE news reporters identified Dark Foreigner as Macdonald and articulated how he had become the “chief propagandist” for Atomwaffen Division, a listed terrorist organisation in Canada. At the peak of his popularity, his aesthetic style and hateful artwork became synonymous with the collective visual branding of militant accelerationism. Notably, the Dark Foreigner persona never hid its ideologically motivated activity, just the creator’s true identity.

via gnet research: ‘A New Image of Terror and Dread’: The Significance Of Dark Foreigner’s Arrest

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#Ottawa man charged with promoting neo-Nazi #terrorist group released on bail – #atomwaffendivision #awd

An Ottawa man who has been charged with terrorism offences for promoting a far-right group has been granted bail. Patrick Gordon Macdonald, 26, was charged in July with participating in the activity of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity and wilfully promoting hatred for a terrorist group. The RCMP say he helped make propaganda material for the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi organization that has been listed as a terror group in Canada since 2021. (…) Macdonald was the first to be charged in Canada with terrorism-related and hate propaganda offences because of his alleged association with a violent far-right ideology. His bail conditions also ban him from contacting a list of 10 people and require him to give up his passport. Police allege he operated under a screen name online, and was known as “Dark Foreigner.” The U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Centre says that “Dark Foreigner” made graphic designs for the Atomwaffen Division. Public Safety Canada says the group calls for acts of violence against racial, religious, and ethnic groups, as well as informants, police and bureaucrats, to prompt the collapse of society.

via ctvnews: Ottawa man charged with promoting neo-Nazi terrorist group released on bail

Atomwaffen Division logo.svg
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