California woman accused as white supremacist group leader, plotted terror acts online: prosecutors

Black leaders demand action on hate crimes

Black leaders and victims of racially motivated crimes gathered in San Francisco with law enforcement leaders to highlight a series of hate crimes targeting black people over the last several months.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A California woman has been arrested on charges of co-leading a white supremacist terrorist group focused on inciting and plotting hate crimes here in the U.S. and around the globe.

On Monday, the Justice Department announced that Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, in Sacramento County, along with Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho were arrested last week and charged with a 15-count indictment.

In a news release, federal prosecutors said the defendants led an online transnational terrorist group called the "Terrorgram Collective" with the intent to radicalize, solicit, and inspire followers to carry out hate crimes and deadly attacks.

The pair is accused of using the digital messaging platform Telegram to advance what prosecutors called their "heinous" ideology that the white race is superior.

The defendants also worked to get members of the group to act on the belief that terrorist attacks on government infrastructure would ignite a race war and help accelerate the collapse of the government, prosecutors said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the group was "dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes — all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology."

Prosecutors linked Humber and Allison to a shooting outside an LGBT bar in Slovakia that left two dead.

The defendants were also suspected of influencing other violent incidents, including the stabbing attack of five people near a mosque in Turkey and a plan to attack energy facilities in New Jersey.

Prosecutors said Humber and Allison posted hate rhetoric encouraging members to carry out attacks against those deemed as enemies of the white race. They're also accused of posting instructional videos and manuals on how to create bombs, chemical weapons, and weapons of mass destruction.

According to the 37-page federal indictment unsealed on Monday, on various dates, Humber posted: "WE NEED TERROR SHOOTINGS ARSON BOMBINGS STABBINGS DEAD TARGETS NOT FOILED PLOTS STOP TALKING START KILLING." The post was marked with swastikas.

The Justice Department pledged its commitment to shutting down shadowy terror groups motivated by bigotry and hate.

"Committing hate-fueled crimes in the darkest corners of the internet will not hide you, and soliciting terrorist attacks from behind a screen will not protect you," Garland said. "The United States Department of Justice will find you, and we will hold you accountable."

Humber and Allison face charges including soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, publishing private, identifying information about federal officials, and distributing bomb-making instructions.

If convicted on all charges, the defendants each could face a maximum penalty of 220 years in prison.

This story was published in Oakland, Calif.