The two teenagers who wrought terror and murder on the Islamic Center of San Diego took direct inspiration from the Christchurch terrorist, an analysis of their writings revealed.
The lengthy screed, which surfaced online, contained a plethora of racist, misogynistic, anti-LGBT slurs and ramblings alongside entrenched incel beliefs, the glorification of terrorists and mass murderers, and the promotion of racist conspiracies, including Holocaust denial and the so-called “Great Replacement”. Other sections rambled on about their political enemies on the left, right, and centre.
Extracts seen by Tell MAMA further detailed how they called for the “extermination” of Muslims and used dehumanising language, comparing them to “parasites”.
They also considered Jewish people and women the most ‘evil’ groups in society, respectively.
The FBI confirmed that both met online, as searches of two properties recovered thirty firearms and a crossbow.
Racist comments about Muslims appeared alongside anti-Muslim and Islamophobic tropes linking Muslims collectively to rape, terrorism, and as “invaders”, with Islam itself portrayed as an existential threat to Christianity.
The screed also advocated for accelerationist forms of white supremacist terrorism, citing proscribed groups like Atomwaffen Division, The Base, and the notorious works of James Mason, and other key white supremacist texts like The Turner Diaries.
It also singled out praise for Adolf Hitler, Elliot Roger, Omar Mateen, Robert Bowers and the Columbine school shooters.
Anti-Black racism in the screed ranged from the use of the N-word to racist pseudoscience and eugenics.
Clips of the terror shared online also demonstrated their desire to replicate Christchurch, including in the choice of body armour and inscribing their weapons as the Christchurch terrorist did.
Screenshots of now-removed posts from a notorious incel messageboard suggested that one of them described themselves as “definitely more racist for specific races”, but their hatred for “all women” would sometimes supersede it.
More broadly, Tell MAMA has also highlighted on social media platforms the continued normalisation and gamification of the Christchurch terror attacks, including the ongoing sanctification of the terrorist himself. As of writing, we have flagged content on TikTok that glorifies the terror in San Diego.
An example of a user glorifying the murders in San Diego on TikTok, which we flagged with the platform.
Our research continues to document how Christchurch has influenced those convicted of far-right terror offences in the UK.
The names of those murdered included the security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad. Tributes speak of their devotion, heroism, and care for others, as they died protecting around 140 children who were inside.
Scott Wahl, San Diego’s Police Chief, made clear that “All three of our victims did not die in vain,” as their heroism saved lives. “Without distracting the attention, without delaying the actions of these two individuals, without question, there would have been many more fatalities yesterday,” he added.
Nor did the terror and murders emerge in a vacuum. The Islamic Centre had improved its security after receiving threats and broader anti-Muslim and Islamophobic messages, including installing bulletproof windows and holding routine active shooter drills at its school, CNN reported.