Alexander Lightner of Venice has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to four years and three months in federal prison. His case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
According to court records, Lightner, 27, is a member of the Terrorgram Collective—an online organization that promotes the belief that the white race is superior, and that violence and terrorism are necessary to ignite a race war and accelerate the collapse of the government and the rise of a white ethnostate.
More on this story/ProPublica
Inside an exclusive Terrorgram chat, on December 29, 2023, Lightner made several threatening posts conveying his intent to commit violent acts motivated by far-right extremist ideology, including “2024 there shall be saints,” and “Highscore shall be defeated.”
The term “saints” refers to a trend within white supremacist online circles where individuals who have committed severe acts of violence motivated by hate are venerated as saints. The phrase “Highscore shall be defeated” refers to a future attack by a white supremacist that will generate a number of casualties surpassing that of previous attacks.
The 27-year-old Lightner made threatening posts conveying his intent to commit violent acts motivated by far-right extremist ideology.
Less than a week after that chat, federal agents executed a search warrant at Lightner’s residence in Venice, where they found a firearm silencer, several firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and a copy of Mein Kampf.
Agents also found extremist literature with detailed descriptions of mass shooting events and praising historical white supremacist mass murders.
When Lightner was interviewed by law enforcement, he admitted that the firearm silencer was his and he had made it himself. He also confessed to making the threatening Telegram posts.
This case was assisted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
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