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Digital radicalization is evolving into a “saint culture” where far-right attackers are venerated as models for future violence. According to researchers Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski, this creates a “script” of livestreams and manifestos that encourages copycat attacks globally, as seen in the recent shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Why are “copycat” attacks increasing in frequency?

Terrorist attacks are increasingly following a standardized blueprint designed for viral distribution. This “script” includes a first-person shooter perspective livestream and a manifesto filled with insider references to maximize online engagement.

In May, two teenage gunmen attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego, calling themselves the “Sons of Tarrant” in a document attributed to them. This directly references Brenton Tarrant, the Australian who killed 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. Security guard Amin Abdullah prevented the gunmen from entering the school inside the center but was killed in the process; two other victims also died.

Amarnath Amarasingam, an extremism researcher, describes this phenomenon as “saint culture.” In far-right accelerationist spaces, Tarrant is depicted in quasi-Christian iconography and viewed as a “paradigmatic saint” who kick-started a new wave of racial violence. This transforms a crime into a sacred model for others to follow in cities from Buffalo, New York, to Bratislava, Slovakia.

How do anonymous forums like 4chan accelerate radicalization?

Anonymous message boards act as a “membership” environment where users gain status by expressing extreme views. Dr. Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski, authors of the book He Told Us, argue that these spaces provide a learning process and a sense of belonging that replaces traditional organized groups.

While Tarrant told a royal commission he was largely an onlooker on boards like 4chan and 8chan, Wilson and Dziwulski claim to have found a trove of his active engagements. By matching linguistic quirks with IP address indicators, the researchers identified posts from “an Aussie tourist in kyrgz” and a user from Grafton, NSW—Tarrant’s birthplace.

These posts show a progression of militancy. In 2015, following the Dylann Roof church massacre in South Carolina, the user linked to Tarrant allegedly wrote up to 30 responses supporting the violence. Wilson notes the attacker was discussing the goal of hitting a place of worship and killing people at their most vulnerable long before his own 2019 attack.

What is the gap between online rhetoric and detectable intent?

Security agencies struggle to distinguish between “hateful rhetoric” and a concrete “intent and capability” to attack. This gap allows radicals to hide in plain sight within a deluge of anonymous, violent chatter.

Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), told Guardian Australia that the agency has undergone a “significant transformation” since the Christchurch massacre. He noted that research conducted with the benefit of hindsight is different from real-time detection. The challenge remains identifying which anonymous user on a board like /pol/ is a “narcissistic” talker and which is a planned killer.

How does “saint culture” impact global security trends?

The shift toward decentralized, internet-led radicalization means that attackers no longer need a physical handler or a formal organization. They only need a digital “curriculum.”

The influence is reaching younger demographics. In Australia, officials have found the Christchurch attack video on the devices of children as young as 14. This suggests the “script” is being internalized by a new generation of users who view these atrocities as instructional videos rather than crimes.

The result is a cycle of “accelerationism,” where each attack is designed to provoke a reaction that further destabilizes society, driving more recruits toward the “saint” models found in digital spaces.

Comparison: Claimed Activity vs. Discovered Activity

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