March 9, 2023 | Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

The Order of Nine Angles: Cosmology, Practice & Movement

March 9, 2023 | Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

The Order of Nine Angles: Cosmology, Practice & Movement

Excerpt

The Order of Nine Angles (O9A)—a trans-national esoteric Satanist movement—is of growing interest to researchers and law enforcement because of its apparent connections to violent extremist individuals and groups. This article presents a primary source-driven exploration of O9A’s cosmology, practice, and movement intended to inform objective discussions about the movement’s nexus to violent extremism, and to help readers better understand the terms and concepts contained in O9A texts. At the heart of O9A’s outlook lies a perspective on human and spiritual evolution holding that the true ethos of Western civilization is pagan but has been corrupted by Judeo-Christian values. O9A thus believes Western society is irredeemable in its present form and seeks to inculcate “heretical” acts that can break the shackles of Judeo-Christian constructs and contribute to societal breakdown. As this article establishes, O9A’s philosophy and practice have meaningful overlaps with violent extremism but clearly identifiable acts of violent extremism are less easy to discern at the movement level.

In June 2020, authorities arrested U.S. Army private Ethan Melzer for conspiring to orchestrate a terrorist attack against his own unit, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, when it deployed to Turkey to guard a U.S. military installation. Melzer provided sensitive information about the coming deployment to his coconspirators and to an undercover source cooperating with the FBI. Believing the undercover source was a member of al-Qaeda, Melzer promised to provide specifics about his convoy’s transit through Turkey so the source could arrange a “jihadi attack.” The prospect that the attack might kill Melzer as well did not faze him. He wrote that “the aftereffects of a convoy getting attacked would cover it… I would’ve died successfully… Cause if another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.”1

Though Melzer had consumed propaganda associated with the Islamic State and believed he was conspiring with a member of al-Qaeda, he was no jihadi.2 Rather, he was a member of the neo-Nazi Telegram channel Rapewaffen Division that records in his case and open-source reporting hold to be affiliated with the Order of Nine Angles (O9A).3 Evidence found on Melzer’s digital devices indicated that he had displayed neo-Nazi symbols and read O9A texts that advocated support for violent extremism across the ideological spectrum. Melzer pleaded guilty in June 2022 “to attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information.4

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and leads a project on domestic extremism. Follow him on Twitter @DaveedGR. Emelie Chace-Donahue is the director of analysis at Valens Global and supports the firm’s public sector clients. FDD is a nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

  1. “Indictment,” United States v. Melzer, 20MG 5884 (S.D.N.Y., 4 June 2020), 5; Sealed Complaint, United States v. Melzer, 20 MG 5884 (S.D.N.Y., 4 June 2020), https://www.justice.gov/file/1287701/download
  2. “U.S. Army Soldier Charged with Terrorism Offenses for Planning Deadly Ambush on Service Members in His Unit,” U.S. Department of Justice, 22 June 2020; “U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Murder Fellow Service Members in Deadly Ambush,” U.S. Department of Justice, 24 June 2022.
  3. “Indictment,” United States v. Melzer, 20MG 5884 (S.D.N.Y., 4 June 2020), 2; “O9A Ideology at Core of ‘RapeWaffen’ Group Implicated in Recent Neo-Nazi Terrorist Plot,” SITE Intelligence Group, 24 June 2020.
  4. “U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Murder Fellow Service Members in Deadly Ambush,” U.S. Department of Justice, 24 June 2022.

Issues:

Domestic Extremism