Latest news with #Whitesupremacist
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Head of international neo-Nazi group that inspired Antioch school shooter extradited to US
The teen who fatally shot a fellow student and himself at Antioch High School this year was inspired by an international neo-Nazi group whose leader orchestrated deadly attacks around the globe, according to federal prosecutors. The terrorist group's leader, 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, of the nation of Georgia, was extradited from Moldova on May 22 after he was arrested in July. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn on May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says the man was the leader of a group called MKY. Chkhikvishvili targeted the U.S. as a site for more attacks because of the ease of accessing firearms. He told an undercover law enforcement employee, 'I see USA as big potential because accessibility to firearms and other resources,' in an electronic message sent Sept. 8, 2023, court filings show. Chkhikvishvili has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on four counts including solicitation of violent felonies. The charges stemmed from Chkhikvishvili's communications with an undercover law enforcement employee in which he trained and encouraged the undercover agent to carry out a mass attack against Jewish people and minorities. The man's arrest came before the deadly attack at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025. However, prosecutors in the New York federal court linked the Antioch shooting to Chkhikvishvili's solicitations of violence in a court filing on May 23. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge requesting the man be incarcerated before trial. They pointed to several ways his actions have 'directly resulted in real violence,' including the shooting at Antioch High School. According to the prosecutors, the 17-year-old attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group in an audio recording posted online before the shooting. It is not clear if the shooter was a member of MKY or had contact with Chkhikvishvili or other members of the terrorist organization. Chkhikvishvili said the group asks for video of brutal beatings, arson, explosions or murders to join the group, adding that the victims should be 'low race targets.' Chkhikvishvili's name also appeared in the document the DOJ characterizes as the Antioch shooter's manifesto — a 300-page document in which the shooter espoused misanthropic White supremacist and Nazi ideologies. The shooter also referred to the founder of MKY and said he would write the founder's name on his gun, according to prosecutors. Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, died after the 17-year-old shot her with a pistol in the cafeteria of Antioch High School. Another student was injured during the attack. The shooter then shot and killed himself. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Neo Nazis inspired Antioch shooter. Now US has extradited their leader
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Head of international neo-Nazi group that inspired Antioch school shooter extradited to US
The teen who fatally shot a fellow student and himself at Antioch High School this year was inspired by an international neo-Nazi group whose leader orchestrated deadly attacks around the globe, according to federal prosecutors. The terrorist group's leader, 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, of the nation of Georgia, was extradited from Moldova on May 22 after he was arrested in July. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn on May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says the man was the leader of a group called MKY. Chkhikvishvili targeted the U.S. as a site for more attacks because of the ease of accessing firearms. He told an undercover law enforcement employee, 'I see USA as big potential because accessibility to firearms and other resources,' in an electronic message sent Sept. 8, 2023, court filings show. Chkhikvishvili has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on four counts including solicitation of violent felonies. The charges stemmed from Chkhikvishvili's communications with an undercover law enforcement employee in which he trained and encouraged the undercover agent to carry out a mass attack against Jewish people and minorities. The man's arrest came before the deadly attack at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025. However, prosecutors in the New York federal court linked the Antioch shooting to Chkhikvishvili's solicitations of violence in a court filing on May 23. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge requesting the man be incarcerated before trial. They pointed to several ways his actions have 'directly resulted in real violence,' including the shooting at Antioch High School. According to the prosecutors, the 17-year-old attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group in an audio recording posted online before the shooting. It is not clear if the shooter was a member of MKY or had contact with Chkhikvishvili or other members of the terrorist organization. Chkhikvishvili said the group asks for video of brutal beatings, arson, explosions or murders to join the group, adding that the victims should be 'low race targets.' Chkhikvishvili's name also appeared in the document the DOJ characterizes as the Antioch shooter's manifesto — a 300-page document in which the shooter espoused misanthropic White supremacist and Nazi ideologies. The shooter also referred to the founder of MKY and said he would write the founder's name on his gun, according to prosecutors. Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, died after the 17-year-old shot her with a pistol in the cafeteria of Antioch High School. Another student was injured during the attack. The shooter then shot and killed himself. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Neo Nazis inspired Antioch shooter. Now US has extradited their leader
Al Etihad
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Roblox user group re-creates real-life mass shooting events
22 Apr 2025 18:19 (BLOOMBERG)A group of Roblox users is re-creating real life school shooting incidents on the gaming platform that's popular with kids, including attacks at Columbine High School and the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, as "Active Shooter Studios,' or A.S.S., the group has attracted hundreds of fans on Roblox to its detailed re-creations of the events, according to a report prepared by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism.A.S.S.'s influence has extended to other platforms, according to the report, including a private Discord server that has been used as a central hub for discussion and promotion of content. It has also been seen on TikTok, where users share content or ask for links to games, and Reddit, where users shared copies of A.S.S.'s maps. One YouTube video posted to the A.S.S. Discord server introduces a game based on the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, which contains live footage from the attack and has received dozens of comments.A.S.S. specialises in making highly detailed, disturbing re-creations of actual tragedies, the ADL said. The group is part of a larger online subculture known as TCC, many of whose followers have a fascination with serial killers and mass murderers. A.S.S. had also been running a Roblox group that contained about 800 members, where the leaders share announcements and promote their Discord server, according to the report. Roblox said it shut the group down last Friday after being contacted by the ADL."The maps created by A.S.S. are not simple game environments-they are disturbingly graphic and detailed, designed to mimic the mass shootings they're based on with unsettling accuracy and gore,' according to the ADL report. In A.S.S.'s games, players maim or dismember other players or characters, actions that are nominally prohibited by Roblox's community that re-create incidents of mass violence can desensitise young people to such events and normalise the re-creations as a form of entertainment, according to the one A.S.S. group game seen by Bloomberg, more than 60 players gathered in a re-creation of the events at Columbine. Gamers' Lego-like avatars formed a mob in front of the school holding pitchforks and repeating the White supremacist phrase "You will not replace us.' Players with guns shot students while other players dressed as police officers attempted to gun down the game was removed. However, later the same day a new shooting game that advertised its connection to A.S.S. debuted, attracting more than 1,000 visits before it too was removed."Roblox is committed to safety and civility, and our Community Standards explicitly prohibit any content or behavior that depicts, supports, glorifies, or promotes terrorist or extremist organisations in any way,' a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg."We take steps to remove violative material and accounts from our platform detected by our AI scans, flagged by users, or flagged by external organisations.'Discord said it has a "zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence on our platform. We take decisive actions when we detect violations of our policies, including removing content, banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with law enforcement.'The Discord server referred to in the ADL report was removed by Discord's Counter Extremism team on April 18, before it was notified by the ADL, according to the company. Discord has removed several accounts related to the community leaders of A.S.S. and has set up alerts so they can track and ban the accounts if they return.A spokesperson for TikTok said its Community Guidelines "prohibit the promotion or incitement of violence, including praising a violent act, and we do not allow anyone to promote violent or hateful actors.'Representatives for Reddit and YouTube didn't immediately respond to a request for of the A.S.S. community couldn't be reached for Corp., which attracts about 85 million players to its platform daily, has struggled at times to police content. The site is particularly popular with younger kids, though in recent years has begun skewing to older teens and young adults. The company has been called out by researchers and law enforcement officials for not doing enough to protect children from predators and has had to deal with other games inspired by real-life mass shootings for ADL previously found re-creations of the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, which were later taken said "the vast majority' of the community on its platform doesn't seek out the A.S.S. content and it is not easily searchable through our the site's discovery mechanism."And because of the swift, proactive safety measures we have in place, it is very unlikely users would be exposed to such content on our platform. Combatting content that supports extremist views is an internet-wide challenge, as these individuals constantly try to evade detection,' the spokesperson works with organisations including the United Nations-supported Tech Against Terrorism initiative and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which gave Roblox a high score on moderating hate online. The company is constantly evaluating and improving its moderation practices, according to the spokesperson. Despite Roblox's efforts to take down the maps created by A.S.S., the group continues to find ways to make the content available, according to the report. For example, it has turned to hosting games on paid Roblox private servers, which give players control over who is admitted to the spaces and make it harder to be detected by Roblox and have their accounts suspended.
NDTV
22-04-2025
- NDTV
"Active Shooter Studios" Recreates Real Life Mass Shootings On Gaming Apps
A group of Roblox users is re-creating real life school shooting incidents on the gaming platform that's popular with kids, including attacks at Columbine High School and the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Known as "Active Shooter Studios," or A.S.S., the group has attracted hundreds of fans on Roblox to its detailed re-creations of the events, according to a report prepared by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism. A.S.S.'s influence has extended to other platforms, according to the report, including a private Discord server that has been used as a central hub for discussion and promotion of content. It has also been seen on TikTok, where users share content or ask for links to games, and Reddit, where users shared copies of A.S.S.'s maps. One YouTube video posted to the A.S.S. Discord server introduces a game based on the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, which contains live footage from the attack and has received dozens of comments. A.S.S. specializes in making highly detailed, disturbing re-creations of actual tragedies, the ADL said. The group is part of a larger online subculture known as TCC, many of whose followers have a fascination with serial killers and mass murderers. A.S.S. had also been running a Roblox group that contained about 800 members, where the leaders share announcements and promote their Discord server, according to the report. Roblox said it shut the group down last Friday after being contacted by the ADL. "The maps created by A.S.S. are not simple game environments-they are disturbingly graphic and detailed, designed to mimic the mass shootings they're based on with unsettling accuracy and gore," according to the ADL report. In A.S.S.'s games, players maim or dismember other players or characters, actions that are nominally prohibited by Roblox's community standards. Games that re-create incidents of mass violence can desensitize young people to such events and normalize the re-creations as a form of entertainment, according to the ADL. In one A.S.S. group game seen by Bloomberg, more than 60 players gathered in a re-creation of the events at Columbine. Gamers' Lego-like avatars formed a mob in front of the school holding pitchforks and repeating the White supremacist phrase "You will not replace us." Players with guns shot students while other players dressed as police officers attempted to gun down the attackers. The game was removed. However, later the same day a new shooting game that advertised its connection to A.S.S. debuted, attracting more than 1,000 visits before it too was removed. "Roblox is committed to safety and civility, and our Community Standards explicitly prohibit any content or behavior that depicts, supports, glorifies, or promotes terrorist or extremist organizations in any way," a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg. "We take steps to remove violative material and accounts from our platform detected by our AI scans, flagged by users, or flagged by external organizations." Discord said it has a "zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence on our platform. We take decisive actions when we detect violations of our policies, including removing content, banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with law enforcement." The Discord server referred to in the ADL report was removed by Discord's Counter Extremism team on April 18, before it was notified by the ADL, according to the company. Discord has removed several accounts related to the community leaders of A.S.S. and has set up alerts so they can track and ban the accounts if they return. A spokesperson for TikTok said its Community Guidelines "prohibit the promotion or incitement of violence, including praising a violent act, and we do not allow anyone to promote violent or hateful actors." Representatives for Reddit and YouTube didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Leaders of the A.S.S. community couldn't be reached for comment. Roblox Corp., which attracts about 85 million players to its platform daily, has struggled at times to police content. The site is particularly popular with younger kids, though in recent years has begun skewing to older teens and young adults. The company has been called out by researchers and law enforcement officials for not doing enough to protect children from sexual predators and has had to deal with other games inspired by real-life mass shootings for years. The ADL previously found re-creations of the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, which were later taken down. Roblox said "the vast majority" of the community on its platform doesn't seek out the A.S.S. content and it is not easily searchable through our the site's discovery mechanism. "And because of the swift, proactive safety measures we have in place, it is very unlikely users would be exposed to such content on our platform," the spokesperson said. "Combatting content that supports extremist views is an internet-wide challenge, as these individuals constantly try to evade detection." Roblox works with organizations including the United Nations-supported Tech Against Terrorism initiative and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which gave Roblox a high score on moderating hate online. The company is constantly evaluating and improving its moderation practices, according to the spokesperson. Despite Roblox's efforts to take down the maps created by A.S.S., the group continues to find ways to make the content available, according to the report. For example, it has turned to hosting games on paid Roblox private servers, which give players control over who is admitted to the spaces and make it harder to be detected by Roblox and have their accounts suspended.
The Star
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Roblox user group re-creates real-life mass shooting events
A group of Roblox users is re-creating real life school shooting incidents on the gaming platform that's popular with kids, including attacks at Columbine High School and the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Known as "Active Shooter Studios', or A.S.S., the group has attracted hundreds of fans on Roblox to its detailed re-creations of the events, according to a report prepared by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism. A.S.S.'s influence has extended to other platforms, according to the report, including a private Discord server that has been used as a central hub for discussion and promotion of content. It has also been seen on TikTok, where users share content or ask for links to games, and Reddit, where users shared copies of A.S.S.'s maps. One YouTube video posted to the A.S.S. Discord server introduces a game based on the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, which contains live footage from the attack and has received dozens of comments. A.S.S. specialises in making highly detailed, disturbing re-creations of actual tragedies, the ADL said. The group is part of a larger online subculture known as TCC, many of whose followers have a fascination with serial killers and mass murderers. A.S.S. had also been running a Roblox group that contained about 800 members, where the leaders share announcements and promote their Discord server, according to the report. Roblox said it shut the group down last Friday after being contacted by the ADL. "The maps created by A.S.S. are not simple game environments – they are disturbingly graphic and detailed, designed to mimic the mass shootings they're based on with unsettling accuracy and gore,' according to the ADL report. In A.S.S.'s games, players maim or dismember other players or characters, actions that are nominally prohibited by Roblox's community standards. Games that re-create incidents of mass violence can desensitise young people to such events and normalise the re-creations as a form of entertainment, according to the ADL. In one A.S.S. group game seen by Bloomberg, more than 60 players gathered in a re-creation of the events at Columbine. Gamers' Lego-like avatars formed a mob in front of the school holding pitchforks and repeating the White supremacist phrase "You will not replace us'. Players with guns shot students while other players dressed as police officers attempted to gun down the attackers. The game was removed. However, later the same day a new shooting game that advertised its connection to A.S.S. debuted, attracting more than 1,000 visits before it too was removed. "Roblox is committed to safety and civility, and our Community Standards explicitly prohibit any content or behaviour that depicts, supports, glorifies, or promotes terrorist or extremist organisations in any way,' a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg. "We take steps to remove violative material and accounts from our platform detected by our AI scans, flagged by users, or flagged by external organisations.' Discord said it has a "zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence on our platform. We take decisive actions when we detect violations of our policies, including removing content, banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with law enforcement.' The Discord server referred to in the ADL report was removed by Discord's Counter Extremism team on April 18, before it was notified by the ADL, according to the company. Discord has removed several accounts related to the community leaders of A.S.S. and has set up alerts so they can track and ban the accounts if they return. A spokesperson for TikTok said its Community Guidelines "prohibit the promotion or incitement of violence, including praising a violent act, and we do not allow anyone to promote violent or hateful actors.' Representatives for Reddit and YouTube didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Leaders of the A.S.S. community couldn't be reached for comment. Roblox Corp, which attracts about 85 million players to its platform daily, has struggled at times to police content. The site is particularly popular with younger kids, though in recent years has begun skewing to older teens and young adults. The company has been called out by researchers and law enforcement officials for not doing enough to protect children from sexual predators and has had to deal with other games inspired by real-life mass shootings for years. The ADL previously found re-creations of the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, which were later taken down. Roblox said "the vast majority' of the community on its platform doesn't seek out the A.S.S. content and it is not easily searchable through our the site's discovery mechanism. "And because of the swift, proactive safety measures we have in place, it is very unlikely users would be exposed to such content on our platform,' the spokesperson said. "Combatting content that supports extremist views is an internet-wide challenge, as these individuals constantly try to evade detection.' Roblox works with organisations including the United Nations-supported Tech Against Terrorism initiative and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which gave Roblox a high score on moderating hate online. The company is constantly evaluating and improving its moderation practices, according to the spokesperson. Despite Roblox's efforts to take down the maps created by A.S.S., the group continues to find ways to make the content available, according to the report. For example, it has turned to hosting games on paid Roblox private servers, which give players control over who is admitted to the spaces and make it harder to be detected by Roblox and have their accounts suspended. – Bloomberg
