Extremist right-wing Terrorgram network sanctioned in Australia

The Australian government on Monday imposes financial sanctions on the neo-Nazi extremist Terrorgram Collective, making it illegal for Aussies to do business or interact with any part of the hate network.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, announced the smack-down against the white supremacist terrorist network as part of the nation’s efforts to “combat antisemitism and keep Australians safe.”

It’s the first-ever sanctions issued by the Albanese government on a completely online entity, Wong noted, making it “a criminal offense to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to the Terrorgram collective.”

“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism, hatred or violence,” Wong said, also posting the news on X.

The Albanese Government has imposed strict counter-terrorism financing sanctions on white supremacist network Terrorgram as part of our work to combat antisemitism and keep Australians safe.

This is the first time Australia has ever imposed these sanctions on an online entity.

undefined Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) February 2, 2025

Penalties for carrying out dealings with the group include up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or heavy fines, the agency said.

Fears of Terrorgram radicalization

The Terrorgram (aka Terrorgram Collective) online hate network, first seen around 2017, is known to promote white supremacy and racially motivated violence.

The group, which primarily operates on the encrypted Telegram messaging platform, was designated a ‘terror group’ and sanctioned by the Biden administration last month – and by Britain in spring 2024.

The first to designate the group as terrorists, UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said in April, “We must do everything in our power to deter and limit the reach of hateful and terrorist ideologies, and to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Proscribing the Terrorgram collective will do just that.”

The 'Terrorgram' Telegram channel urges its followers to carry out attacks on perceived adversaries, providing members with “guidance and instructional materials on tactics, methods, and targets for attacks, including on critical infrastructure and government officials,” US officials said about the neo-Nazi collective in January.

The collective has been linked to a July 2024 planned attack on New Jersey energy facilities, an August 2024 knife attack at a mosque in Turkey, and an October 2022 shooting outside an LGBTQI+ bar in Slovakia.

In September 2024, the US Justice Department (DoJ) arrested two men, one from California and the other from Idaho, accusing them of leading the Terrorgram group, soliciting hate crimes, and providing material support for other terrorist groups, such as “distributing information about explosives.”

The leaders were said to have used the Telegram channel to urge attacks on Black, Jewish, and LGBTQ people and immigrants – all to "incite a race war, sow chaos, and accelerate the collapse of government and society."

Besides Terrorgram, Australia also on Monday re-listed one person and another four other entities for counter-terrorism financing sanctions.

The four entities – the National Socialist Order (formally known as the Atomwaffen Division), the Russian Imperial Movement, the Sonnenkrieg Division, and The Base – are also known to promote nationalist and racist violent extremist ideologies, the Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Some, including the National Socialist Order and The Base, are said to be directly connected to the Terrrorgram Collective, according to research by the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET).

The individual sanctions were reinstated on the Hizballah terror group’s new Secretary-General/spokesperson Mr Naim Qassem.