ECNETNews, January 13, 2025: The U.S. State Department has officially designated a Brazilian national, along with a Croatian and a South African, as terrorists for their involvement in The Terrorgram Collective, a transnational white supremacist extremist group.
The group has been linked to various global attacks, including the violent incident outside an LGBTQI+ bar in Slovakia in October 2022. Ciro Daniel Amorim Ferreira, a Brazilian citizen and administrator of Terrorgram, was named alongside Noah Licul and Hendrik-Wahl Muller as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” under Executive Order 13224.
Details of the Designation
The Terrorgram Collective has been accused of promoting a violent white supremacist agenda and providing tactical instructions for attacks on government officials, critical infrastructure, and minority communities. Notable incidents involving the group include:
- October 2022: A shooting outside an LGBTQI+ bar in Slovakia.
- July 2024: A planned attack on energy facilities in New Jersey.
- August 2024: A knife attack at a mosque in Türkiye.
Impact of the Designation
This designation freezes all assets within U.S. jurisdiction connected to these individuals and bars American entities from engaging in transactions with them. This move aims to sever the group’s financial resources and diminish their operational capabilities.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justice is actively pursuing legal action against domestic affiliates of Terrorgram. In September 2024, two U.S.-based leaders faced a 15-count indictment, accused of soliciting hate crimes, conspiring to support terrorism, and targeting federal officials.
A Global Effort Against Extremist Threats
The Biden-Harris administration is prioritizing the fight against domestic terrorism, particularly focusing on racially motivated violent extremism (REMVE) through initiatives like the National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. The designation of these foreign individuals highlights the administration’s commitment to tackling the international aspects of extremist threats.
This action represents a crucial step in curbing the influence of violent white supremacist ideologies as they operate across international borders and exploit digital platforms to recruit and organize. The involvement of Ferreira from Brazil emphasizes the necessity of global cooperation in confrontations against REMVE actors.
This designation is anticipated to bolster enforcement efforts worldwide and serve as a strong warning to those supporting extremist ideologies.
