Most media coverage of this portrays Ethan Melzer as a neo-Nazi, and the whole thing as a neo-Nazi, white supremacist plot. Reality is more complicated, and less convenient for the media narrative.
One important aspect of this story is that it shows yet again that the neo-Nazis do not oppose jihad, as is often claimed, but support it and want to ally with jihadis.
“US soldier charged with plotting to attack own Army unit: Prosecutors,” WABC, June 22, 2020:
NEW YORK (WABC) — A U.S. Army soldier gave classified information about American troops stationed overseas to a white supremacist group based in Britain, federal prosecutors alleged Monday.
Ethan Melzer, 22, allegedly planned to attack his own Army unit by sending sensitive details about its location, movements and security to members of an extremist group, Order of the Nine Angels, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court….
During an interview with military investigators and the FBI, Melzer admitted his role in plotting the attack. He said that he intended the planned attack to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible, officials said. He also declared himself to be a traitor against the United States, and described his conduct as tantamount to treason….
Officials say members and associates of O9A have expressed violent, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and Satanic beliefs, and have expressed admiration for both Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic jihadists, such as Usama Bin Laden, the now-deceased former leader of al Qaeda. Members and associates of O9A have also participated in acts of violence, including murders.
“Ethan Melzer: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” by Jordan Houston, Heavy, June 23, 2020:
Ethan Melzer is an U.S. Army soldier who recently confessed to planning a deadly attack on his own unit after passing along sensitive information to a white supremacist group.
The Justice Department announced Monday an indictment unsealed accusing the 22-year-old of collaborating with the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), an occult-based neo-Nazi organization, to carry out a “deadly ambush,” according to the press release….
He explored propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the complaint continues.
“The FBI seized from an iCloud account maintained by Melzer an ISIS-issued document with a title that included the phrase ‘HARVEST OF THE SOLDIERS,’” court records state. “And described attacks and murders of U.S. personnel in approximately April 2020.”…
The complaint echoed similar sentiments, claiming O9A fuels “violent, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and Satanic beliefs.” The group has idolized Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic Jihadists, like former Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden….
After the Army told Melzer in April 2020 of plans for a further foreign deployment by his unit, he “sought to facilitate a deadly attack on his fellow service members,” the complaint disclosed.
The private used an encrypted application to send messages to O9A and another related group called “RapeWaffen Division,” investigators revealed, detailing “sensitive information” regarding his unit’s upcoming deployment.
In May of this year, he sent similar information to a “purported” member of Al-Qaeda. He conveyed the number of soldiers traveling, the unit’s expected facility location and information about its surveillance and defensive capabilities, court records show.
Melzer also acknowledged that he was willing to die in order to carry out the “jihadi attack.”
According the complaint, he wrote, “Who gives a [expletive] [. . .] it would be another war . . . I would’ve died successfully . . . cause [] another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.”…
“The defendant confessed to his role in plotting an attack on his unit, admitted that he intended for the planned attack to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible and declared himself to be traitor against the United States,” according to the complaint.
Melzer also described his behavior as “tantamount to treason,” it continues….
mortimer says
The alliance between Islam and the Nazi Party is well-documented. Jamie Glazov wrote a book on the alliance between the Left with Islam called ‘United in Hate’.
Islam, Nazis and Leftists all see liberal democracy as the impediment they must destroy before implementing their full totalitarian rule.
They are natural allies.
ELI says
If you want to know what Nazis really think about Muslims, go to stormfront. They have a nice thread there called the Islamic disease which will give you nice intro into their beliefs. It’s basically like being on jihadwatch but with the difference that they also hate jews and blacks and most other non-whites.
They even use words like “muzz” and “muzzies” so posters like nomuzzieshere will feel right at home 🙂
gravenimage says
Some white supremacists are indeed anti-Muslim, largely because many of them are not white.
But the Nazis have a long history of allying with Muslims dating back to Hitler himself, which ELI here desperately hopes we will ignore.
And does ELI have a problem with this Jihadist plotting an attack on his fellows? Not so he says…
Mobuyus says
You get vicarious thrills going to nazi websites? Liberals are the latest installment of fascism, I guess you can’t help yourself.
Paul Stein says
The idea of a neo-Nazi-Jihadi alliance always made little sense. The idea to trigger another “10-year war in the Middle East,” however, made perfect idiological sense. In chess, this is called a gambit; losing something now for significant gain later. This traitor was going to sacrifice American lives for Muslim destruction. Sick, but it could have been effective if it had worked.
gravenimage says
What are you babbling about?
The purpose of Jihad is not to destroy Muslims, but to destroy Infidels.
DazzleMe says
+1
Paul Stein says
Please read what I stated a bit closer and a lot slower. In light of my first sentence, yours did not follow. Forget Jihad. The guy was seeking a war, plain and simple, and he had no problems with losing a few American lives to achieve that goal.
gravenimage says
Nazis have been allying with each other since Hitler.
And the idea that one has to gin up Muslim attacks on the US military is absurd–are you *really* unaware of how many Muslim attacks there are on American soldiers all the time? The idea that this one attack, had Ethan Melzer been able to pull it off, would have resulted in another 10 year war in the Middle East is ridiculous.
What it *would* have resulted in would be a lot of dead Americans.
As for the demand that we forget Jihad, I’m afraid neither I nor any of the other Anti-Jihadists here are apt to oblige you.
keith O says
This turd even admitted that his behavior is treason.
The penalty for treason by a serving member of the military death.
Putting him and his mates in front of a firing would serve as a warning to anyone else who thinks betraying their country is a good idea.
Dax says
Absolutely Keith!
James Lincoln says
“Currently, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by death. Under the following sections of the UCMJ, the death penalty can be imposed at any time:
94 – Mutiny or sedition
99 – Misbehavior before the enemy
100 – Subordinate compelling surrender
101 – Improper use of countersign
102 – Forcing a safeguard
104 – Aiding the enemy
106a – Espionage
110 – Improper hazarding of vessel
118 – Murder
120 – Rape”
I’m no attorney but it looks like at least 94, 99, 104, 106a apply…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_the_United_States_military#Capital_crimes
revereridesagain says
WABC got the group’s name significantly wrong. It’s Order of the Nine Angles, not “Angels”. This is their description:
https://occult-study.org/order-of-nine-angles-ona/
This is not the first time the military (Army, specifically) has had controversy arise regarding members of satanist groups with Nazi leanings. I would rather not mention another outstanding example here by name as they are quite litigious, but do a search for the general subject and you will probably find it. The leader, a psych-warfare specialist, escaped serious charges because, according one military judge, there was enough evidence but he was “teflon” for “reasons of national security”. To my knowledge, no Islamic connection s there, but the case occurred some decades ago.
gravenimage says
You are right about this being a mistake. I’m surprised this journalist didn’t look the group up–or maybe I’m not, given the poor journalistic standards these days…
Job says
You don’t qualify for the death penalty for having dark thoughts, or a vivid imagination, understanding your enemy is important, identifying with the Islamic enemy happens a lot more than you may think, American recruiting has been a mess since ssgt Ali muhamhead was an American special forces and bin ladens LT.
gravenimage says
Of course. a plot where compromising information is sent to the enemy so it can attack is not just a day dream about something like punching out your CO as Job here implies.
And there is no such person as “ssgt Ali muhamhead”. Is Job trying to say Ali Mohamed? Who knows?
Then, his claim that many Americans identify with the Jihad terrorists who want to murder them is absurd–as is the implication that many American soldiers belong to violent unhinged antisemitic Satanist societies.
revereridesagain says
Of course his claim is absurd. There are very few cases; it’s an anomaly. But it has happened that questionable groups have influenced people in the service. Apparently this is another case.
gravenimage says
revereridesagain–with all respect–there is no indication I have seen that Ethan Melzer was drawn into this twisted group by the military. I don’t know if he was part of it before he joined or not. That would be interesting to know.
James Lincoln says
revereridesagain says,
“But it has happened that questionable groups have influenced people in the service.”
That is a correct statement.
NOT the US military per se but groups OUTSIDE of it…
Bethy says
“One important aspect of this story is that it shows yet again that the neo-Nazis do not oppose jihad, as is often claimed, but support it and want to ally with jihadis”
You have to be kidding me… no real Nazis would EVER idolize a Muslim. This is total garbage.
gravenimage says
You mean “no real Nazis”–like Adolf Hitler? He was a friend of the genocidal antisemite Mohammad Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, granted him asylum in Berlin, and declared him an “honorary Aryan”.
Then he said, “The Mohammedan religion would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?”[191] “Had Charles Martel not been victorious at Poitiers — already, you see, the world had fallen into the hands of the Jews, so gutless a thing was Christianity ! — then we should in all probability have been converted to Mohammedanism, that cult which glorifies heroism and which opens the seventh Heaven to the bold warrior alone. Then the Germanic races would have conquered the world. Christianity alone prevented them from doing so.”
Then, there were Muslim SS Units.
Are you really unaware of this history?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Adolf_Hitler#Hitler_on_Islam
WhycantIpost says
You dont have to idolize to be a partner,Yes Hitler did like and respect them to a degree.His alliance was with egypt at first.
gravenimage says
Everyone’s first post here goes through moderation as a matter of course.
Darkness is coming says
Islam the new Nazism
Linde Barrera says
I agree with Keith O.
“Private” Ethan Melzer should face the firing squad. That would be the right punishment and justice would be served since he is a traitor to his country. ?
jca reid says
He has aided & abetted Enemies of the USA. It’s the Firing Squad for him. No messing.
Sukabumi Joe Joe says
Can anybody explain to me why both the left and the (extreme) right support jihadists? I’m beginning to feel slightly lost. I mean I know of the fascination Hitler had for mohamedanism and of his friendship with some mufti, and I can see the ‘Palestinian scarves’ (as we call them) around the necks of many extreme leftists, and let’s face it: facts are facts (even though nowadays many would have it otherwise), but tell me why? Wasn’t it Machiavelli who said: the friend of my enemy is my enemy? And by the by: how come both are antisemitic? There’s another thing I don’t understand. How do you say this over there, on the other side of the pool: ‘please connect the dots for me, I can’t seem to do the math’?
Reziac says
Because what’s being called “extreme right” is actually militant left. It’s right there in the name: National *Socialists*. And the Nazi party planks were almost identical to Communism.
That it still manages to suck up a few idiots who don’t look beyond the camaraderie and the spiffy uniforms, well, so does every extreme position.
Nazis were decried as “far right” by the Communists, because 1) they were rivals and 2) the Nazis weren’t far enough left (being just to the right of Stalin). Also 3) because Hitler was Stalin’s patsy in WW2 (the idea was to use Germany to weaken Europe so the USSR could take over — and if the US hadn’t joined the fight, it would have worked, even with Hitler’s perfidy), and it’s helpful to label the target as the opposite of yourself.
gravenimage says
Both Fascism and hard-core Communism are totalitarian–as is Islam. As for hating Jews, all three have been antisemitic.
Paul Stein says
You’re absolutely right to be confused here. The math doesn’t add up. Unfortunately, there are conspiracy theories that run rampant on the flimsiest of evidence. First off, be very careful with the word support. “Support” is a word and a half. Support can range from political sign waving to pressure on Congress to money and guns.
For the most part, the Right does not support Jihadists at all. Jihadists are against nationalistic Western values…plus they are frikkin terrorists and kill innocents. Some on the Right might support Jihadists in web content alone only for their hate of Jews and Israel, but that’s as far as things go. As long as those Jihadists stay in the Middle East, and only mess with Israel, then fine.
The Left only supports Palestinian recognition, not Jihadists. The Left has politically correct issues with the apartheit and discrimination and land grab they think Israel does. Logic, reason, and raw evidence illustrates that they are completely delusional in their thoughts. The Left has an underdog support-for-the-oppressed mentality, that the Palestinian propaganda machine uses to its advantage. The Left’s support for Palestine is also not monetary but purely political, although their issue with Israel is making inroads in Congress. Unfortunately, anti-Israel easily rolls over into anti-Semitism too because it’s those Jews who are in Israel…and Jews are here too, right?
OLD GUY says
Let military justice take care of this soldier. It looks like he has committed at least several death penalty criminal actions. Without the left wing media interfering I’d say he stands a good chance of seeing the firing squad.