Infrastructure, Sabotage, and Accelerationism

The Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) has posted an article examining some of extremists’ unique approaches for inciting attacks on critical infrastructure on online forums, such as Telegram. As the author observes, some extremists include attacks targeting infrastructure as part of their wider strategies, an assertion backed by a review of a list of relatively recent plots. The article cites a plot in which an individual connected to the neo-Nazi accelerationist group “The Base” sought to poison water supplies, as well as derail trains and open fire at a gun rights rally, with the ultimate goal being to trigger civil war. It also recalls another plot by a different Base member, and former U.S. servicemember, that involved targeting water and electric utilities. A significant portion of the article focuses on extremists’ desire to attack electric infrastructure in particular, demonstrating some of the ways in which extremists seek to offer ideas and inspiration to one another, sometimes “cloaked in faux-warnings.” Comments on real-world sabotage reports provide more scenarios, such as when a poster links to an article reporting ambulance sabotage and writes, “definitely don’t do this,” encouraging just the opposite. As part of its conclusion, the article notes the cumulative effect of these methods is a collective anti-social brainstorm, resulting in an ever-growing list of ways to foster, perpetuate, and extend chaotic disorder. Read the article at GNET.