Main Tabs Group

Overview
Formed: 
January 1, 2018

Disbanded: Group is active.

First Attack: April 4, 2019: FKD wrote a post on its Gab account “calling for acts of violence against Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt.”[1]

Last Attack: May 11, 2023: A 16-year-old Danish member of FKD was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for trying to recruit a classmate to FKD and for aiding the group by distributing bomb and weapons manuals online and providing guidance to other FKD members.[2]

The Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) is a neo-Nazi militant organization that primarily operates online with members in the United States and Europe. The name “Feuerkrieg” translates to “fire war” in German. FKD was founded in October 2018 in Estonia as an affiliate of the Atomwaffen Division, a prominent international neo-Nazi group, and quickly expanded overseas. The group is openly accelerationist and aims to create a white ethnostate. While the majority of the group’s activity occurs online, FKD has distributed violent, racist, and anti-Semitic propaganda in cities around the world to spread its message and encouraged the commission of violent acts. Members of FKD have been linked to numerous terrorist plots in Europe and the United States. The group has remained relatively small, with no more than one hundred members at its peak in 2019.

Narrative

While the origins of the Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) are unclear, most reports suggest the group was established as an online network in October 2018. The founder of the group was an individual who went by the alias “Commander” and would later be revealed as a thirteen-year-old boy from Estonia.[3]

The group’s name means “Fire War” Division in German and is an homage to the Atomwaffen Division (AWD), a prominent international neo-Nazi organization whose name refers to the German word for “atomic weapons.”[4] While the relationship between FKD and AWD is complicated, it is clear that FKD has drawn much inspiration from the group. Indeed, FKD shares key attributes of AWD’s ideology, including white supremacism and anti-Semitism. Like AWD, FKD calls for the use of violence to overthrow the current world order, which it views as inherently corrupt and “controlled by Jews,” with the goal of fomenting a race war and establishing a whites-only ethnostate.[5] Also, like AWD, FKD is heavily influenced by the writings of James Mason, a prominent American neo-Nazi who wrote Siege, an anthology of essays that promotes racial terrorism and societal destruction.[6] Despite the links between the two groups, FKD has always remained independent from AWD.[7]

Initially, FKD concentrated its recruitment efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. By 2019, however, the group began expanding those efforts to other parts of Europe and North America, issuing recruitment calls across its social media accounts.[8] Two of its most active accounts were Gab and Telegram, both online messaging and social media platforms popular with extremists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis. According to Alex Newhouse, an extremism researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, “[e]arly members produced dozens of pieces of propaganda that were aimed directly at recruiting people from across the world.”[9] Such propaganda typically included images of swastikas and assault rifles and statements encouraging violence against its perceived enemies, namely racial minorities, the Jewish community, members of the LGBTQ community, and state authorities.[10] For example, one post on Gab read, “FKD_GB [Great Britain] is looking for members from the UK and Ireland. Fuck the politicians, fuck the race traitors, nuke London.”[11]

Its efforts appeared to pay off, as FKD publicly announced on its Gab account on June 13, 2019, the creation of “cells” in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.[12] There was, however, no evidence that the group had a significant presence in any of those areas. Less than two months later, on August 5, the group announced the creation of a Canadian cell.[13] Around this same time, FKD posted outreach messages targeting individuals in the United States. The messages read, “If you’re from the Great Lakes Region, Texas, California or the Midwest and are looking to organize then contact us at FeuerkriegDivision@***” and “If you are from the New Jersey or New York area then message us at FeuerkriegDivision@***.”[14] Owing to the group’s aggressive recruitment push, in 2019, FKD reached its peak membership of one hundred individuals, the majority of whom were young men and teenage boys.[15]

As FKD’s global reach expanded throughout 2019, the group entered its most active period, during which numerous FKD members were arrested for “attempted or thwarted attacks across Europe and the United States.”[16] In Europe, for example, British police arrested Paul Dunleavy, a 16-year-old FKD member, in September 2019, for preparing acts of terrorism by “researching how to convert a blank-firing gun into a live weapon, and providing ‘advice and encouragement’ to others online.”[17] In response, FKD members from the British cell FKD_GB created a series of posters threatening U.K. police and demanding the release of the teenager.[18] Dunleavy was later sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.[19] Then, in October 2019, a 20-year-old member of FKD, Gediminas Berzinskas, was arrested for placing a bomb outside the offices of Western Union in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. Lithuanian officials successfully defused the bomb before it went off.[20] Berzinskas was found guilty of plotting a terror act and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.[21] Also in October 2019, Luke Hunter, a 21-year-old British member of FKD, was arrested for encouraging acts of terrorism and later sentenced to four years and two months in prison.[22]

In the United States, federal authorities intervened to prevent several other individuals associated with the Feuerkrieg Division from carrying out terrorist attacks. Notably, on August 8, 2019, the FBI arrested Conor Climo, a 23-year-old security guard from Las Vegas, Nevada, on weapons charges after he told an undercover FBI agent that he planned “to firebomb a synagogue or attack a Las Vegas bar catering to LGBTQ customers.”[23] Authorities began investigating Climo after discovering his extensive communications with members of FKD on Wire, an encrypted messaging app.[24] According to court documents, Climo joined FKD because it “offered him glory and the ability to contribute his knowledge of constructing explosive devices toward a ‘righteous cause.’”[25] Climo was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.[26] Then, on September 21, 2019, U.S. authorities arrested Jarrett William Smith, another American FKD member in his early twenties and a U.S. army soldier, 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier and member of FKD, for distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction.[27] On Telegram, Smith, going by the username “anti-Kosmik,” posted about a plan to target Democratic politician Beto O’Rourke, CNN, and antifa members using an improvised explosive device.[28] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.[29]

The legal troubles faced by its members and the associated negative publicity surrounding FKD did not slow the group down, as it continued communicating online and issuing recruitment calls. What did slow it down, however, was the troubles faced by its leader, “Commander.” Specifically, in early January, the Estonian Internal Security Service identified and confronted the individual behind the alias “Commander.” According to Harrys Puusepp, a spokesman for the Estonian Internal Security Service, the police agency “intervened in early January because of a suspicion of danger” and “suspended this person’s activities in” Feuerkrieg Division.[30] Because of the boy’s age, Puusepp did not release his name or details about his identity. However, a few months later, in April 2020, the Estonian journalist Mikk Salu identified “Commander” as a 13-year-old boy from Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island.[31]

Following the agency’s intervention, “Commander” disappeared from the group’s online chats.[32] Soon after, on January 15, 2020, FKD announced on its public Telegram channel that it was “stopping all of our recruitment operations for an undefined amount of time.” A 20-year-old member of FKD’s Florida cell, Taylor Parker-Dipeppe, who went by the username “Azazel,” then set up a new Telegram channel and assumed temporary leadership of FKD. After a warrant for his arrest was unsealed on February 24, Parker-Dipeppe transferred chat administration powers to another member, “Feldmeijer,” who resided in the Netherlands.[33] Parker-Dipeppe was arrested two days later on charges of conspiring with others online to intimidate journalists.[34]

Soon after, in late February 2020, the group claimed it was officially disbanding.[35] However, according to leaked chats exposed by the non-profit journalist collective Unicorn Riot, FKD “never broke up, but rather stayed together and continued plotting a rebrand.”[36] Over a year later, in May 2021, a new FKD channel emerged on Telegram, where a user named “Commander” announced the group’s reactivation. While it is unknown whether this “Commander” was the same as the original one, the extremism researcher Bethan Johnson noted considerable similarities between the two actors’ posting behavior and content.[37] In October 2021, Estonian intelligence announced the arrest of this member.[38]

On the new Telegram channel, members discussed their readiness to “embrace chaos” and “invoke terror.”[39] FKD also announced that it had formed an alliance with Injekt Division, an American neo-Nazi community whose founder was arrested in May 2021 for a mass shooting plot.[40] While the new channel quickly grew to include over 150 members, it was short-lived, as Telegram removed it on June 7 for violating its terms of service.[41] Group members, however, reportedly migrated to other Telegram channels and resumed their activities.[42]

At the same time that the group renewed its activity on Telegram, authorities discovered recruiting materials, such as posters and leaflets, in the streets of Estonia and other European countries.[43] The materials included calls to action like “Strive for the collapse” and “Join the revolution” and were “adorned with swastikas and skull-masked figures carrying bloodied assault rifles and doing the Sieg Heil salute.”[44]

Organization

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Leadership

FKD based its organizational structure on the Atomwaffen Division.[45] According to Eugene Antifa, a group in Oregon dedicated to uncovering fascists and neo-Nazis, FKD consisted of “autonomous and localized cells [that were] capable of meeting up in person and carrying out actions on behalf of the group.”[46] These cells typically contained only one or two members. FKD claims to have established cells in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada.[47] The group also claims to have several cells in the United States, including ones in the Northeast, Florida, and Washington, although there is no evidence that the group has a significant presence in any of those areas.[48]

Commander (2018 – 2020): The co-founder of FKD was a teenage boy from Estonia who went by the alias “Commander.”[49] According to the extremism researcher Alex Newhouse, “[i]n spite of his youth, ‘Commander’ spearheaded global recruitment, facilitated propaganda creation, and showed deep familiarity with neo-fascist doctrine.”[50] He also “frequently encouraged FKD members to plan and carry out violent attacks.”[51] In January 2020, the Estonian Internal Security Service identified and confronted the individual behind the alias “Commander.” According to Harrys Puusepp, a spokesman for the Estonian Internal Security Service, the police agency “intervened in early January because of a suspicion of danger” and “suspended this person’s activities in” Feuerkrieg Division.[52] Following the agency’s intervention, “Commander” disappeared from the group’s online chats.[53] Because of the boy’s age, Puusepp did not release his name or details about his identity. However, a few months later, in April 2020, the Estonian journalist Mikk Salu identified “Commander” as a 13-year-old boy from Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island.[54] As of June 2023, his identity remains publicly unknown.

Taylor Parker-Dipeppe (2020): Taylor Parker-Dipeppe was an FKD member from Florida who was also a member of the Atomwaffen Division, an accelerationist neo-Nazi militant organization operating in the United States with affiliates overseas. Parker-Dipeppe’s online username was “Azazel.” After “Commander” disappeared from FKD’s chat room in January 2020, he assumed leadership of the group’s Telegram channel for a brief period before he was arrested on February 26 for his involvement in a plot to intimidate journalists.[55] Federal prosecutors alleged that Parker-Dipeppe, along with three other individuals, left or attempted to leave posters that displayed Nazi symbols and threatening language at the homes of journalists in Arizona, Florida, and Washington State.[56]  Although he pleaded guilty to the charges in September of 2020, a federal judge decided not to impose prison time on him, finding that Parker-Dipeppe, who is transgender, had already suffered enough from abusive family members and relentless high school bullying.[57]

Commander II (May 2021 – October 2021): In May 2021, a new FKD channel emerged on Telegram, where a user named “Commander” announced the group’s reactivation. While it is unknown whether this “Commander” was the same as the original one, the extremism researcher Bethan Johnson noted large similarities between the two actor’s posting behavior and content.[58] In October 2021, Estonian intelligence announced the arrest of this member.[59]

Feldmeijer: “Feldmeijer” was an FKD member in the Netherlands whose username refers to the prominent Dutch Nazi politician Henk Feldmeijer. He assumed control of FKD’s Telegram channel in February 2022 after Taylor Parker-Dipeppe was arrested.[60] 

Nicholas Welker: Nicholas Welker, also known by his username “King ov Wrath,” was a member of FKD who was arrested on March 21, 2023, in San Jose, California, for violently threatening a Brooklyn-based journalist who was covering FKD.[61] His threats were posted online and included an image of the journalist with a gun pointed at his head and the words “Race Traitor” over their eyes and the caption “JOURNALIST F[***] OFF!  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.”[62] Little is known about his precise role within the organization, however, according to court documents, Welker was a leader of FKD.[63] Specifically, during an interview with the FBI in October 2021, Welker “stated he was made the leader of FKD by an individual who is known to the FBI as the former leader of FKD.”[64] If found guilty, Welker faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.[65]

Size Estimates
  • 2018: 30 members (Middlebury Institute Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism)[66]
  • 2019: 30 members (Anti-Defamation League)[67]
  • 2019: 100 members (Middlebury Institute Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism)[68]

FKD members are predominantly young men in their teens or early twenties.[69] According to one member who went by the name Wolfram, FKD did allow women, however, they were closely monitored.[70] To become a member of FKD, applicants are required “to put up propaganda posters in their local area and send photos to the leader.”[71] They are also required to read Siege, an anthology of essays written by American neo-Nazi James Mason that promotes racial terrorism and societal destruction.[72]

Name Changes

There are no recorded name changes for this group.

Resources

There is no publicly available information about how or from where this group acquires its resources.

Locations

Disclaimer: This is a partial list of where the militant organization has bases and where it operates. This does not include information on where the group conducts major attacks or has external influences.

The Feuerkrieg Division was established in October 2018 in Estonia. The group initially attracted members from Central and Eastern Europe, but it quickly expanded its recruitment efforts to other parts of Europe and North America. Based on online postings, members live in at least twelve countries, including Belgium, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, Germany, Russia, the United States, and Canada.[73] FKD claims to have established cells in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada.[74] The group also claims to have several cells in the United States, including ones in the Northeast, Florida, and Washington, although there is no evidence that the group has a significant presence in any of those areas.[75]

Strategy

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Ideology and Goals

At the core of FKD’s ideology is accelerationism, the belief that the current world order is corrupt and “controlled by Jews” and must therefore be brought down using violent means.[76] Specifically, the group aims to initiate a “race war” to bring about the destruction of society, which they believe will “reset” the “degenerate” cultural values that Jews have supposedly introduced.[77] Through such destruction, FKD seeks to establish a whites-only ethnostate “where citizens are able to survive off the land.”[78] In order to prepare for the impending breakdown of society, FKD encourages its members to grow their own food and “acquire illegal weapons, illegally modify weapons and manufacture explosives and ammunition.”[79] On its Gab account, for example, FKD declared, “Break away from the system and grow your own food. It is healthier and will give you a guarantee for survival in the collapse.”[80]

The group’s ideology is also heavily influenced by the writings of James Mason, an American neo-Nazi who wrote Siege, an anthology of essays that promotes racial terrorism and societal collapse. From his writings emerged the philosophy known as “Siege Culture,” which encourages its followers “to adopt an outlook of extreme hate and blame and embrace violence as a solution to societal problems.”[81] Siege Culture is rooted in fascism and the teachings of Adolf Hitler and Charles Manson.[82] The philosophy has also been adopted by other white supremacist organizations that are linked to FKD, such as The Base and Sonnenkrieg Division, whose members FKD has referred to as “comrades.”[83]

FKD celebrates violence and actively encourages its members to commit violent acts, including mass shootings, bombings, and attacks on civilians, which it believes will facilitate its “desired race war.”[84] On its flyers and social media accounts, FKD has glorified some of the most well-known mass murderers, including Adolf Hitler, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant, the Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, and the Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.[85] According to the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at Middlebury College, FKD criticizes other “white supremacist groups who take optics and public perception into account, believing that it hinders the movement’s ability to make change and preferring to fully embrace violence as a tactic achieve their goals.”[86]

Political Activities

There are no recorded political activities for this group.

Targets And Tactics

One of FKD’s primary targets is Jewish people. On its social media accounts, FKD has frequently spouted anti-Semitic language and encouraged its members to commit acts of violence towards Jews.[87] Other targets of the group include non-white people and the LGBTQ+ community.[90] 

Additional targets of FKD include law enforcement, politicians, and the federal government, all of which it views as an “extension of a corrupt system, controlled and manipulated by Jews.”[93] In one exchange on Telegram, for example, FKD members spoke about their desire to “blow up” the French president Emmanuel Macron, the former German chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Estonian parliament.[94] Moreover, in September 2019, after British police arrested FKD member Paul Dunleavy for preparing acts of terrorism, FKD actively encouraged its members to go after law enforcement. Specifically, FKD members from the British cell FKD_GB posted a series of images on Telegram threatening UK police and demanding the release of the teenager along with a “list of police buildings encouraging supporters to attack the locations.”[95] FKD_GB also posted a list of the locations of various police buildings which they encouraged followers to attack, writing,

“…The people working in these buildings are race traitors and actively enforce kike power over white men, sentencing young, white freedom fighters to hard time while n---- rape white women in the streets daily. These pigs should be advised that we know where they work. These places of ZOG [Zionist Occupied Government] power should be considered high value target to any local NS [National Socialist]…” [96]

As the posts from FKD_GB highlight, FKD is explicit in its endorsement of violence. Indeed, members have frequently made violent posts on the group’s social media channels. For example, on Telegram, one user, “sk14,” encouraged “FKD members to plan larger bombing attacks in the style of Timothy McVeigh,” an American terrorist who carried out the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 that killed over 150 people. In addition, the user “Garzon” advocated for the use of “sneak-attack tactics,” writing “the level of terror and mystery is higher, and that effect is arguably more valuable” than a high body count.”[97] Yet another individual posted candid photos of black individuals with the caption, “To kill or not kill is the question.”[98] Despite these frequent calls for violence, the majority of the group’s activity has consisted of distributing racist and anti-Semitic propaganda in cities around the world.[99]

Attacks

Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.

 

April 4, 2019: FKD wrote a post on its Gab account “calling for acts of violence” against Guy Verhofstadt, a liberal Belgian Member of the European Parliament and the former prime minister of Belgium.[100] FKD did not disclose why it was targeting Verhofstadt.

August 8, 2019: The FBI arrested Conor Climo, a 23-year-old security guard from Las Vegas, Nevada, on weapons charges after he told an undercover FBI agent that he planned “to firebomb a synagogue or attack a Las Vegas bar catering to LGBTQ customers.”[101] Authorities began investigating Climo after discovering his extensive communications with members of FKD on Wire, an encrypted messaging app.[102] While searching his home, FBI agents found materials that could be used to construct homemade explosive devices.[103] In February 2020, Climo pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of an unregistered firearm. He was later sentenced to two years in prison.[104]

June 5, 2019: FKD posted a violent image of YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki being hung on June 5, 2019, on its Gab account.[105] The image was posted “in retaliation for a recent purge of hate content on [YouTube], which appears to have significantly affected FKD.”[106]

September 2019: British police arrested Paul Dunleavy, a 16-year-old FKD member, for preparing acts of terrorism by “researching how to convert a blank-firing gun into a live weapon, and providing ‘advice and encouragement’ to others online.”[107] In response, FKD members from the British cell FKD_GB posted a series of images threatening U.K. police and demanding the release of the teenager as well as a “list of police buildings encouraging supporters to attack the locations.”[108] Dunleavy was later sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.[109]

September 21, 2019: U.S. authorities arrested Jarrett William Smith, a 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier and member of FKD, on suspicion of sharing instructions online for building bombs.[110] At the time, Smith was based in Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Riley, Kansas.[111] On Telegram, Smith, going by the username “anti-Kosmik,” posted about a plan to target Democratic politician Beto O’Rourke, CNN, and antifa members using an improvised explosive device.[112] In February 2020, he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction.[113] Later that year, Smith was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.[114]

October 6, 2019: Gediminas Berzinskas, a 20-year-old member of FKD, placed a bomb outside the offices of Western Union in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. He also spray-painted the words “FK Division” and Nazi symbols on the walls of the buildings.[115] Officials successfully defused the bomb before it went off.[116] Berzinskas was arrested over a week later, on October 15, and was subsequently found guilty of plotting an act of terrorism and illegal possession of explosives. In September 2020, Berzinskas was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.[117]

October 9, 2019: Luke Hunter, a 21-year-old British member of FKD, was arrested by British police for allegedly encouraging acts of terrorism.[118] Specifically, Hunter had made posts on Telegram in which he called for the killing of Jews, non-white people, and members of the LGBTQ community.[119] In December 2020, Hunter was sentenced to four years and two months in prison.[120]

October 14, 2019: A new member of FKD and a high school student in Spokane, Washington, who used the online alias “Berserker,” posted FKD flyers at the Morning Star Baptist Church, a predominantly black church. The flyers featured swastikas and images of Hitler in addition to messages such as “Turn your sadness into rage” and “It’s OK to genocide subhumans.” FKD claimed responsibility for the incident on Telegram, posting photos of the flyers and crediting its “recently opened Washington cell.”[121]

February 5, 2020: A 23-year-old FKD member from southern Germany, Fabian D., was arrested for planning a terrorist attack at a mosque or synagogue.[122] He was active on FKD’s online chat groups and was “reportedly a leading figure in FKD’s German cell.”[123] In December 2020, Fabian was sentenced to two years in prison for planning the terrorist attack.[124]

March 21, 2023: Nicholas Welker, a member of FKD who went by the online alias “King ov Wrath,” was arrested on March 21, 2023, in San Jose, California, for violently threatening a Brooklyn-based journalist who was covering FKD.[125] His threats were posted online and included an image of the journalist with a gun pointed at his head and the words “Race Traitor” over their eyes and the caption “JOURNALIST F[***] OFF! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.”[126] If found guilty, Welker faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.[127]

May 11, 2023: A 16-year-old Danish member of FKD was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for trying to recruit a classmate to FKD and for aiding the group through activities such as distributing bomb and weapons manuals and providing guidance to other FKD members.[128] Danish prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas said that authorities believed the boy “had assumed a leadership role [in FKD] in relation to how the terrorist group was to be organized, including how it could gain more members.”[129]

Interactions

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Designated / Listed

On July 17, 2020, the U.K. government proscribed the Feuerkrieg Division as a terrorist group.[130] Accordingly, being a member of FKD or inviting support for the group became a criminal offense punishable by up to ten years in prison.[131]

In April 2021, U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin urged President Joe Biden’s administration to designate more than a dozen white supremacist groups, including the Feuerkrieg Division, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Such a designation, Slotkin argued, would “give the United States government more tools to engage and flag the Americans who contact, support, train, and join these groups.”[132] As of June 2023, National Action has not been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.[133]

Community Relations

As a covert group that operates primarily online, the Feuerkrieg Division has not cultivated close relations with local communities.

Relationships With Other Groups

Atomwaffen Division:

The Atomwaffen Division (AWD) – known as National Socialist Order (NSO) after July 2020 – is an accelerationist neo-Nazi militant organization operating in the United States with affiliates overseas. The name “Atomwaffen” is German for “nuclear weapons.” AWD promotes the use of violence to overthrow the U.S. government, foment a race war, and establish a new society based on principles of national socialism and white supremacism. Founded in 2015, the group is known for its anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT, and apocalyptic beliefs. AWD has been linked to acts of violence in the United States, including killings, explosives, and firearms offenses, and plots against critical infrastructure.[134] AWD has been designated as a terrorist organization by the British, Canadian, and Australian governments.[135] 

The nature of FKD’s relationship with AWD is complicated. While FKD has drawn much ideological inspiration from AWD, FKD’s anonymous leader, known by the screen name “Commander,” sought to keep his group operationally independent from both AWD central and Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD).[136] His emphasis on maintaining FKD’s independence became apparent in early August 2019 when AWD member Richard Tobin approached “Commander” on Telegram with a plan to merge the two groups and make FKD into a “vassal” subordinate to “The Nucleus” of the U.S.-based Atomwaffen Division.[137] Commander firmly rejected Tobin’s efforts to establish a more hierarchical relationship, although he was open to having FKD and AWD work together.[138] The two groups also reportedly share some members.[139]

 

The Base:

The Base is an accelerationist neo-Nazi militant organization operating mainly in the United States with some activity in Europe. The group’s founder is based in Russia. Organized mostly online as a loose network of cells, The Base anticipates the overthrow of modern society and an ensuing race war. The group’s objective is to establish a white ethnostate in North America, inspired by the separatist projects of other U.S. white supremacist groups, such as the Northwest Front and Aryan Nations.

Before U.S. authorities dismantled The Base in early 2020, there was alleged membership overlap between FKD and The Base.[140] In August 2019, AWD and Base member Richard Tobin under the username “landser.awd” proposed a merger with FKD, but “Commander” refused.[141] Other FKD members referred to members of The Base as “comrades.”[142] In addition, leaked chats show FKD leader “Commander” seeking organizational advice from The Base leader Rinaldo Nazzaro, also known as “Roman.”[143] For example, in one exchange, Commander asked, “How do you get your members to become active?” to which Roman replied, “We threaten to kick them out if they aren’t active.”[144]

 

Sonnenkrieg Division:

The Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD) is the United Kingdom-based affiliate of AWD. The German term “Sonnenkrieg” translates to “sun war” or “solar war.”[145] SKD originated as a splinter group of the System Resistance Network, which is an alias of National Action (NA), a proscribed British neo-Nazi organization. As with members of The Base, FKD has referred to members of SKD as “comrades.”[146] However, FKD has also expressed frustration with “competing for recruits with the Sonnenkrieg Division.”[147]

 

Injekt Division:

In May 2021, after resurfacing on Telegram, FKD claimed to have partnered with the Injekt Division, a small neo-Nazi group. Around the same time as FKD’s announcement, the leader of the Injekt Division, Coleman Thomas Blevins, was arrested for threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Walmart in Texas.[148] The group is openly accelerationist, meaning they seek to bring about the demise of the current world order, which they view as inherently corrupt, to build a white ethnostate.[149] Its logo is a syringe, which, according to a previous leader, represents an “extremist alternative to the 12-step program.” In his words, “Extremism and purpose are the only way to abstain from bad habits.”[150] In April of 2023, the Injekt Division hacked the adult film star Riley Reid’s Twitter account and shared a series of racist, transphobic, and anti-Semitic posts.[151]

State Sponsors And External Influences

There are no publicly available state sponsors or external influences for this group.

Footnotes
Footnotes: 

 

[1] Kassandra, “Armed neo-Nazi group issues death threat to Guy Verhofstadt,” New Europe, April 8, 2019, https://www.neweurope.eu/article/armed-neo-nazi-group-issues-death-threa....

[2] Johannes Birkebaek, “Danish teen jailed for 5 and ½ years for aiding far-right group,” Reuters, May 11, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/danish-teen-jailed-5-12-years-aidin....