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| Dylann Roof: FBI probes website and manifesto linked to Charleston suspect | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Related: Charleston shooting echoes a painful history of attacks on black churches | Related: Charleston shooting echoes a painful history of attacks on black churches |
| The FBI and local authorities were on Saturday investigating a website that may contain a manifesto created by the white supremacist Dylann Roof before he walked into a South Carolina church this week and shot dead nine black churchgoers. | The FBI and local authorities were on Saturday investigating a website that may contain a manifesto created by the white supremacist Dylann Roof before he walked into a South Carolina church this week and shot dead nine black churchgoers. |
| A statement released on Saturday evening said: “Charleston police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are aware of postings on a website allegedly attributed to Dylann Roof, the suspect in the 17 June 2015 shootings at Emanuele AME Church … We are taking steps to verify the authenticity of these postings. | A statement released on Saturday evening said: “Charleston police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are aware of postings on a website allegedly attributed to Dylann Roof, the suspect in the 17 June 2015 shootings at Emanuele AME Church … We are taking steps to verify the authenticity of these postings. |
| “Because this is an ongoing investigation, neither the Charleston Police nor the Federal Bureau of Investigation are able to release further details at this time.” | “Because this is an ongoing investigation, neither the Charleston Police nor the Federal Bureau of Investigation are able to release further details at this time.” |
| Roof’s former stepmother, meanwhile, said Roof had been affected by “internet evil”. | Roof’s former stepmother, meanwhile, said Roof had been affected by “internet evil”. |
| “He was locked in his room looking up bad stuff on his computer,” Paige Mann, who is divorced from Roof’s father, told NBC News. “Something on the computer drew him in – this is internet evil.” | “He was locked in his room looking up bad stuff on his computer,” Paige Mann, who is divorced from Roof’s father, told NBC News. “Something on the computer drew him in – this is internet evil.” |
| The provenance of the website, which contains a cache of photographs of the 21-year-old in which he is seen holding a pistol or standing beside the Confederate flag, is unclear. | The provenance of the website, which contains a cache of photographs of the 21-year-old in which he is seen holding a pistol or standing beside the Confederate flag, is unclear. |
| The site began circulating on the internet on Saturday. It contains a 2,444-word statement that, if penned by Roof, would shed light on the racist ideology that led him to the Emanuel AME church in Charleston on Wednesday. | The site began circulating on the internet on Saturday. It contains a 2,444-word statement that, if penned by Roof, would shed light on the racist ideology that led him to the Emanuel AME church in Charleston on Wednesday. |
| The accompanying photographs reveal that Roof toured historical sites across South Carolina that have links to the civil war era and slavery, including graveyards and plantation sites. | The accompanying photographs reveal that Roof toured historical sites across South Carolina that have links to the civil war era and slavery, including graveyards and plantation sites. |
| However, data encoded into the images, which may have provided clues as to when they were taken, appears to be unreliable. | However, data encoded into the images, which may have provided clues as to when they were taken, appears to be unreliable. |
| Roof, who was charged on Friday with nine counts of murder, is accused of spending more than an hour with a Bible-group at the church, before taking out a handgun and shooting his victims. | Roof, who was charged on Friday with nine counts of murder, is accused of spending more than an hour with a Bible-group at the church, before taking out a handgun and shooting his victims. |
| On Saturday, FBI director James Comey caused controversy when he said he did not view the Charleston shooting as an act of terror. | On Saturday, FBI director James Comey caused controversy when he said he did not view the Charleston shooting as an act of terror. |
| “Terrorism is act of violence done or threaten[ed] … in order to try to influence a public body or citizenry,” Comey said, in Baltimore, “so it’s more of a political act and again based on what I know so more I don’t see it as a political act.” | “Terrorism is act of violence done or threaten[ed] … in order to try to influence a public body or citizenry,” Comey said, in Baltimore, “so it’s more of a political act and again based on what I know so more I don’t see it as a political act.” |
| His remarks, which were made before the FBI had formally acknowledged it was investigating the website and the apparent manifesto, appeared to contradict the Justice Department, which said on Friday it was investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime or an act of terror. | His remarks, which were made before the FBI had formally acknowledged it was investigating the website and the apparent manifesto, appeared to contradict the Justice Department, which said on Friday it was investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime or an act of terror. |
| The website was created in February by a registrant who listed his or her name as Dylann Roof. Under a section entitled “An Explanation”, the website appears to allude to the forthcoming massacre. | The website was created in February by a registrant who listed his or her name as Dylann Roof. Under a section entitled “An Explanation”, the website appears to allude to the forthcoming massacre. |
| “I have no choice” it states. “I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country.” | “I have no choice” it states. “I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country.” |
| The statement adds: “We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.” | The statement adds: “We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.” |
| The website – which is entitled LastRhodesian.com and was first discovered by Twitter users – contains what appears to be a manifesto filled with racist diatribe about blacks, Jews and hispanics. | The website – which is entitled LastRhodesian.com and was first discovered by Twitter users – contains what appears to be a manifesto filled with racist diatribe about blacks, Jews and hispanics. |
| The author claims to have been “truly awakened” by the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch leader, George Zimmerman, in Florida three years ago. | The author claims to have been “truly awakened” by the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch leader, George Zimmerman, in Florida three years ago. |
| Zimmerman was eventually acquitted of murdering the 17-year-old but the case became a touchstone for debates over racial discrimination in the country. | Zimmerman was eventually acquitted of murdering the 17-year-old but the case became a touchstone for debates over racial discrimination in the country. |
| “It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right,” the author writes. “But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words ‘black on white crime’ into Google, and I have never been the same since that day.” | “It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right,” the author writes. “But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words ‘black on white crime’ into Google, and I have never been the same since that day.” |
| The photograph album contains 60 images, more than half of which show the 21-year-old. It is unclear if Roof took the images with an automatic timer or had an accomplice. Some show him in aggressive, incendiary poses – pointing a gun or spitting on an American flag. In others, he is simply posing at historical sites across South Carolina, staring into the camera lens. | The photograph album contains 60 images, more than half of which show the 21-year-old. It is unclear if Roof took the images with an automatic timer or had an accomplice. Some show him in aggressive, incendiary poses – pointing a gun or spitting on an American flag. In others, he is simply posing at historical sites across South Carolina, staring into the camera lens. |
| Related: Charleston shooting: Confederate flag at heart of growing political storm | Related: Charleston shooting: Confederate flag at heart of growing political storm |
| Roof photographed himself in a bathroom mirror, wearing the same black jacket with Rhodesian and South African flag patches that he used as his Facebook profile. Another photo, seemingly taken minutes later, shows Columbia’s Elmwood Cemetery, a memorial for confederate soldiers who died between 1861 and 1865, built by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. | Roof photographed himself in a bathroom mirror, wearing the same black jacket with Rhodesian and South African flag patches that he used as his Facebook profile. Another photo, seemingly taken minutes later, shows Columbia’s Elmwood Cemetery, a memorial for confederate soldiers who died between 1861 and 1865, built by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. |
| There are several images of a .45-caliber Sig Sauer pistol, one of Roof burning an American flag, and others which contain coded references used by white neo-Nazis to refer to Adolf Hitler. In four photographs Roof is either holding or surrounded by the Confederate flag, which represents the region that seceded from the Union in 1861, in defense of slavery. | There are several images of a .45-caliber Sig Sauer pistol, one of Roof burning an American flag, and others which contain coded references used by white neo-Nazis to refer to Adolf Hitler. In four photographs Roof is either holding or surrounded by the Confederate flag, which represents the region that seceded from the Union in 1861, in defense of slavery. |
| Those images are likely to intensify a debate raging over the flag, which many believe is a racist emblem representing the country’s segregated past, yet is sometimes openly displayed in South Carolina and other southern states. There were growing calls in South Carolina to take down a Confederate flag that flies on the grounds of the state capitol, even before photographs of Roof wielding Confederate flags began circulating on the internet on Saturday, | Those images are likely to intensify a debate raging over the flag, which many believe is a racist emblem representing the country’s segregated past, yet is sometimes openly displayed in South Carolina and other southern states. There were growing calls in South Carolina to take down a Confederate flag that flies on the grounds of the state capitol, even before photographs of Roof wielding Confederate flags began circulating on the internet on Saturday, |
| Roof, it seemed, was keenly aware of his country’s racist history, even if the manifesto makes clear he developed a warped, deluded and inverted understanding of its significance. | Roof, it seemed, was keenly aware of his country’s racist history, even if the manifesto makes clear he developed a warped, deluded and inverted understanding of its significance. |
| He conducted a tour of historical sites throughout South Carolina, stopping at a burial ground at the McLeod plantation in Charleston where hundreds of slaves were buried. Another image, possibly taken the following day, shows the Museum and Library of Confederate History. Roof also visited Sullivan’s Island, through which as many as 360,000 African slaves passed. | He conducted a tour of historical sites throughout South Carolina, stopping at a burial ground at the McLeod plantation in Charleston where hundreds of slaves were buried. Another image, possibly taken the following day, shows the Museum and Library of Confederate History. Roof also visited Sullivan’s Island, through which as many as 360,000 African slaves passed. |
| The website’s manifesto, in contrast, contains few detailed historical references but does claim that conventional understanding of slavery is based upon “historical lies, exaggerations and myths”. | The website’s manifesto, in contrast, contains few detailed historical references but does claim that conventional understanding of slavery is based upon “historical lies, exaggerations and myths”. |
| “Segregation was not a bad thing,” it states. “It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back negroes. It existed to protect us from them.” | “Segregation was not a bad thing,” it states. “It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back negroes. It existed to protect us from them.” |
| The meandering, racist statement, which opens with the line “I was not raised in a racist home or environment”, gives no suggestions of any firm links to an organised white supremacist network, and does not portray Roof as motivated by any personal grievances or a particularly coherent political ideology. | The meandering, racist statement, which opens with the line “I was not raised in a racist home or environment”, gives no suggestions of any firm links to an organised white supremacist network, and does not portray Roof as motivated by any personal grievances or a particularly coherent political ideology. |
| Instead, if the ramblings are to be taken at face value, Roof almost gives a step-by-step guide to how he self-radicalised, surfing a series of extremist and conspiratorial websites. The author of the manifesto states, for example, that after reading a Wikipedia article about the Zimmerman case, he or she turned first to the website of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a far-right group that masquerades as a mainstream organisation. | Instead, if the ramblings are to be taken at face value, Roof almost gives a step-by-step guide to how he self-radicalised, surfing a series of extremist and conspiratorial websites. The author of the manifesto states, for example, that after reading a Wikipedia article about the Zimmerman case, he or she turned first to the website of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a far-right group that masquerades as a mainstream organisation. |
| The CoCC’s website appeared to have been taken offline on Saturday, however cached versions of the group’s web pages contained a series of links to dubious articles about what it characterised as black crimes against white people. | The CoCC’s website appeared to have been taken offline on Saturday, however cached versions of the group’s web pages contained a series of links to dubious articles about what it characterised as black crimes against white people. |
| “There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on white murders,” the manifesto apparently written by Roof says about the website. “I was in disbelief. At this moment I realised that something was very wrong.” | “There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on white murders,” the manifesto apparently written by Roof says about the website. “I was in disbelief. At this moment I realised that something was very wrong.” |
| Related: Charleston shooting: we need prayer, but also an end to this political genocide | Related: Charleston shooting: we need prayer, but also an end to this political genocide |
| Roof, the manifesto suggests, was then sucked deeper into a world of extremist online propaganda. “From this point I researched deeper and found out what was happening in Europe,” it states. “I saw that the same things were happening in England and France, and in all the other western European countries.” | Roof, the manifesto suggests, was then sucked deeper into a world of extremist online propaganda. “From this point I researched deeper and found out what was happening in Europe,” it states. “I saw that the same things were happening in England and France, and in all the other western European countries.” |
| Whoever authored the statement professed a firm belief in the cultural and biological superiority of white people and a delusional conclusion about the need to make a mark with some unstated mission. | Whoever authored the statement professed a firm belief in the cultural and biological superiority of white people and a delusional conclusion about the need to make a mark with some unstated mission. |
| “Anyone who thinks that white and black people look as different as we do on the outside, but are somehow magically the same on the inside, is delusional,” the statement claims. “How could our faces, skin, hair, and body structure all be different, but our brains be exactly the same?” | “Anyone who thinks that white and black people look as different as we do on the outside, but are somehow magically the same on the inside, is delusional,” the statement claims. “How could our faces, skin, hair, and body structure all be different, but our brains be exactly the same?” |
| Despite the expressions of hatred toward non-white minorities, especially blacks, the author claims “great respect” for east Asians, who are said to be “very racist and could be great allies of the white race”. “I myself would have rather lived in 1940s America than Nazi Germany, and no this is not ignorance speaking,” the statement adds. “It is just my opinion.” | Despite the expressions of hatred toward non-white minorities, especially blacks, the author claims “great respect” for east Asians, who are said to be “very racist and could be great allies of the white race”. “I myself would have rather lived in 1940s America than Nazi Germany, and no this is not ignorance speaking,” the statement adds. “It is just my opinion.” |
| The strangest line is, perhaps, the last. “Please forgive any typos,” the statement finishes, casually. “I didn’t have time to check it.” | The strangest line is, perhaps, the last. “Please forgive any typos,” the statement finishes, casually. “I didn’t have time to check it.” |
| Additional reporting by Oliver Laughland and Shiv Malik | Additional reporting by Oliver Laughland and Shiv Malik |