Morning Briefing: White Supremacist Associated with Terrorgram Collective Faces New Charges
Andrew Takhistov, the far right violent extremist associated with the Terrorgram Collective, has been indicted two addition charges related to a plot to attack a PSE&G substation.
Morning Briefing: Andrew Takhistov, the far right violent extremist associated with the Terrorgram Collective, has reportedly been indicted by a federal grand jury on “two charges related to an investigation that accused him of soliciting a partner to damage a PSE&G substation via an explosion.”
Federal prosecutors have claimed that Takhistov’s communications on “various platforms referenced Adolf Hitler, encouraged violence against Black and Jewish communities, praised mass shooters and discussed causing death and destruction on a large scale.”
A grand jury in Clarke County, Georgia has “indicted a man accused of assaulting a University of Georgia student while he was wearing a Nazi uniform last year.” Kenneth Leland Morgan was “indicted on aggravated assault charges,” and is scheduled for an arraignment on September 15, 2026.
In Mesquite, Texas, white supremacist messages and symbols were reportedly “spray-painted along the center of a frontage road near Interstate 635,” and this has prompted “city officials to respond and condemn the vandalism.” The messages included the phrase “white power” and a swastika, however, it remains unclear which group my be responsible.
In Asbury Park, New Jersey, local law enforcement is reportedly “investigating a series of bias incidents after neo-Nazi symbols were spray-painted this week at multiple locations,” and the “incidents are being investigated as bias-related incidents” and local law enforcement believes the same individual is responsible for each incident.
Must Reads
Brandy Zadrozny writes that “conspiracy theories were inevitable in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death. The conservative activist helped build the foundation for a new conspiracism apparatus that now lays claim to the story of his killing. I expected Kirk’s death to fuel a popular right-wing conspiracy theory: that some semblance of leftist, trans antifa forces are responsible and represent a threat to America. Instead, it launched a new MAGA conspiracist movement — one that has pointed inward at the Trump administration, Kirk’s wife Erika, and his own organization, Turning Point USA — that seeks a complicated answer to a simple question: Who killed Charlie Kirk?” [MS Now]
Mike Rothschild writes that “it’s impossible to look at the run-up to the 2026 midterms without examining the repackaging and reuse of the conspiracy theories that got us here. The midterms might be the last chance we see some of them used with any real efficacy, and nobody is missing their shot. Trump himself has never stopped living in the frenetic period between the 2020 election and Joe Biden’s inauguration. Despite having actually conceded his defeat, both shortly after Jan.6 and in subsequent interviews, he has also continued to claim he did win the election. Trump’s relentless insistence that he won three times only to see one of them stolen (or ‘stollen’ as he likes to misspell it) means that every single election they lose will immediately be written off as rigged by a vast conspiracy. This conspiracy, paradoxically, only seems to operate during elections when Trump is president and Republicans don’t do well.” [Talking Points Memo]
Kathy Gilsinan writes that “prominent conservative commentators have alleged that groyperism is spreading among younger members of the GOP, including in government — a view seemingly backed by examples like the young Trump administration lawyer who admitted to a ‘Nazi streak’ in text messages revealed by POLITICO. Others point to social-media posts from official government accounts that echo the language or memes of the online far right… If, as the adage goes, personnel is policy, the stakes are significantly higher than intergenerational trash talk, given the degree to which government staffers, across branches, effectively run the country. Student government types become interns become policy aides become senior advisers, chiefs of staff and even heads of agencies. If the conservative personnel pipeline is changing, Republican government will change with it.” [Politico]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
