FBI arrests Florida man accused of threatening ‘mass casualty event’ ( www.cnn.com )

A Florida man accused of posting online threats to carry out mass violence has been arrested and charged with making an interstate threat and a weapon violation, federal court records show.

Alexander Lightner, 26, of Venice, Florida, allegedly posted comments online that were “intended to convey the message that he was planning to conduct a racially or ethnically motivated mass casualty event,” according to an affidavit.

He was interviewed by FBI agents from the bureau’s Tampa Field Office a week later on January 5, and law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lightner’s home before he was arrested.

...

While searching Lightner’s home, FBI agents found an unlawful firearm suppressor in a laundry hamper of a bedroom he shared with his brother and “propaganda regarding white supremacist and accelerationist ideology in Lightner’s bedroom,” according to court records.

ChunkMcHorkle ,
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

propaganda regarding white supremacist and accelerationist ideology

For those like me who had to look up "accelerationist ideology" because the mountain of hate-filled right-wing "make it up as you go along" bullshit is too deep for me to keep up with anymore, here it is. From Wikipedia:

Accelerationism is a range of revolutionary and reactionary ideas in left-wing and right-wing ideologies that call for the drastic intensification of capitalist growth, technological change, infrastructure sabotage and other processes of social change to destabilize existing systems and create radical social transformations, otherwise referred to as "acceleration".

That's bad enough (speed up entropy until everything goes boom faster than expected) but apparently it's also really popular with the fascists as well.

I guess no one told these evolutionary wonders that historically, when you blow shit up, you do NOT get shiny new utopias, clean fields and places to start anew. You get huge mountains of waste no one is going to cart off for you, people even more exploited and needy than they ever were before, and the kind of "radical social transformation" no one ever wants for themselves.

stoly ,

Sounds like a philosophy created to suit the crowd who is cheering on the next civil war.

DragonTypeWyvern ,

Combined with a lot of defeatist cope. "I don't need to stay politically active, I'm just going to let it all burn down and build back from the ashes! I'm smart, not broken and lazy!"

stoly ,

Definitely a lot of the rugged individualism as if they could recreate an electrical generator after the fall.

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

People who subscribe to accelerationist ideology are usually ok with blowing up the entire thing if it means we no longer live in a multicultural society or whatever. They'd like (their bullshit concept of) a "utopia," but would settle for complete destruction.

TheJims ,

One less trump voter

ArugulaZ ,
@ArugulaZ@kbin.social avatar

Accelerationist? Do I even want to know what that is?

Theprogressivist ,
@Theprogressivist@lemmy.world avatar

It's a bunch of losers who sabotage the current system to show how broken it is so they can burn it all down and create a new system. So, they accelerate the problems to overwhelm the system.

ArugulaZ ,
@ArugulaZ@kbin.social avatar

So, "Crash the old order and creat a new society!" Sounds like Elevator Action II without the fun parts.

FireTower , (edited )
@FireTower@lemmy.world avatar

Basically it's someone that believes there is an up coming conflict (here seemingly a race war in his mind) and that by taking actions (here mass murder) they can cause the conflict to occur sooner, so they will sooner achieve their desired outcome of the conflict (here presumably some kind of ethno-state).

It's not always racially tied but seems to be in the particular case.

dual_sport_dork ,
@dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world avatar

E.g. sometimes it's religiously driven, like the evangelical nutjobs who believe that by behaving like shitheads in whatever capacity is their sect's particular hobby-horse can somehow hasten the coming of the End Times. Whereupon they expect that they'll totally be the special ones to be raptured up to heaven and not all those other sods just like them who aren't "True Christians."

Ibex0 ,

Kinda sounds like daesh philosophy.

Eldritch ,
@Eldritch@lemmy.world avatar

Accelerationist like effective-altruist is just another name for those who only know how to create problems, but not solve them. People with ideals and goals so heinously bad. The only way they can get people to go along with them. Is to ruin all other options. All while having the maturity of a toddler. Though in the case of actual toddlers that can be forgiven.

Tedesche ,

I don't know if you want to know, but they define it in the article if you care to read it....

Chainweasel ,

A Florida man accused of posting online threats to carry out mass violence.

Trump is a "Florida man" who posts threats online to incite mass violence, when is he going to get arrested for it?

tsonfeir ,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

But he’s just being “sarcastic.”

GladiusB ,
@GladiusB@lemmy.world avatar

That's just locker talk!

Witchfire ,
@Witchfire@lemmy.world avatar

Silly goose, "rich" people are above the law

MagicShel ,

Dude is 26 and still sharing a bedroom with his brother? I know living at home longer is a common thing these days, but like that? I picture it as living in a spare room or in the basement or maybe a camper parked in the driveway. This guy isn't going places. Literally. Except to prison.

Bipta ,

So many things to shame the guy over and you choose economic situation, which is not shameful, however unfortunate.

MagicShel ,

That's beyond economic situation is my point.

FireTower ,
@FireTower@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/1f0fe78e-e200-47d8-b1a8-a7628dc5c370.jpeg

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

How?

MagicShel ,

Because a 26 year old isn't going to live in the same bedroom as another non-romantic partner unless there is something beyond economic concerns at play. I get people who can't afford to move out, but they aren't going to sleep in the same room as another person with zero privacy, zero ability to set their own schedule, etc.

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

Why would there need to be something "beyond" economic concerns? If it's between living outside in the winter, or sharing a room with another adult, I think most people would choose the latter.

MagicShel ,

That is a completely artificial choice because there are a million other options. We are human beings with the power of thought and the need for privacy and agency. Those are needs. Needs that were going unmet and he was somehow incapable of finding any other solution.

There is something going on there besides the economic because that alone doesn't force someone into this situation. Mental or psychological impairment can, though.

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

It is a very real choice that countless people are forced to make on a daily basis.

Check your privilege.

Shave_MyBeever ,

Wonder who had the top bunk.

theodewere ,
@theodewere@kbin.social avatar

thank you brave and tireless agents of the Bureau

rafadavidc ,

I gueeeeeeesssssssssssssss I can say yay cops here...............................

BUT ONLY THIS ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND

maynarkh ,

a racially or ethnically motivated mass casualty event

How nice of a way to avoid saying "white supremacist terror attack".

Arcane_Trixster ,

“propaganda regarding white supremacist and accelerationist ideology in Lightner’s bedroom,”

They say it later in the article, goober. Find something else to take offense to.

NewNewAccount ,

I’m mostly taking offense at your use of the word goober.

TheWoozy ,

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

I know it's the wrong candy

maynarkh ,

They don't use the word terrorist though.

Nougat ,

Am I the only one who's relieved that the guy made an "interstate threat," so that federal authorities were involved, instead of only Florida law enforcement?

Theprogressivist ,
@Theprogressivist@lemmy.world avatar

Knowing Florida, they would've recruited him to Desantis' brownshirts.

prole ,
@prole@sh.itjust.works avatar

It's so fucked up that this isn't even really a joke.

TheWoozy ,

That's still an option for this "hostage".

stoly ,

I often find myself feeling that way.

Theprogressivist ,
@Theprogressivist@lemmy.world avatar

What a fucking loser.

CluckN ,

Maybe he meant mass casual event like a class reunion or Bingo night.

arin ,

Good riddance

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