Antioch School shooter Henderson refers to Turkish neo-Nazi in manifesto

A shooting in a Nashville high school cafeteria on Wednesday left one female student dead and another injured, marking the city’s second school tragedy in nearly two years.

The shooter, a 17-year-old Antioch High School student identified as Solomon Henderson, used a Taurus G2C 9mm compact pistol to carry out the attack before fatally shooting himself, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron confirmed at a news conference.

Investigators discovered a manifesto written by Henderson, which contained homophobic and racial slurs, admiration for past school shooters, and plans for an attack targeting elementary school students.

Links to Türkiye and neo-Nazi Arda Kucukyetim

Henderson’s manifesto reportedly referenced Arda Kucukyetim, an 18-year-old from Eskisehir, Türkiye, reportedly a Turkish-American citizen who committed a knife attack in August 2024.

Kucukyetim injured seven people, including one critically, at a tea garden near a mosque while livestreaming the assault.

Wearing tactical gear associated with white supremacists, Kucukyetim attacked bystanders randomly before being subdued and arrested. His own manifesto revealed neo-Nazi sympathies, a deep hatred for humanity, and admiration for mass violence perpetrators such as Anders Behring Breivik and Brenton Tarrant. He referred to these figures as ‘saints’ and sought to emulate their infamy.

Kucukyetim’s writings detailed a troubled childhood and depression that fueled his animosity. Investigators also found that he communicated with an online contact using the pseudonym “Fjotolf Hansen,” who reportedly encouraged violent acts and provided guidance on making explosives.

Local residents quickly subdued Arda Kucukyetim as he attempted to flee the scene. Police arrived shortly after, arresting the suspect and taking him into custody.

Arda Kucukyetim was live for two-minutes during the attack, recording the assault from a first-person perspective. The video, which has since gone viral, shows the harrowing moments as he randomly attacked bystanders.

In his manifesto, Arda Kucukyetim described himself as a young man born in 2006 in Eskisehir to a “middle-class family.”

He wrote about his strained relationship with his parents, stating, “I never got along well with my family; I was closer to my grandfather and grandmother.”

Arda Kucukyetim detailed how his “hatred for humanity” began in middle school and intensified after he fell into a deep depression upon finishing school. “Life wasn’t worth living; it didn’t make sense to be a slave to this shitty system,” he wrote.

His depression, coupled with growing animosity towards humanity, eventually led him to what he described as his “life’s purpose”—to kill as many people as possible.

The manifesto also praised infamous perpetrators of mass violence, including Anders Behring Breivik and Brenton Tarrant, referring to them as “saints.” Kucukyetim reportedly viewed his actions as a means to emulate their notoriety, even likening himself to a “video game character.”

‘He talked about wanting to buy guns’

Arda Kucukyetim, the perpetrator of a knife attack in Eskisehir that injured five people, is attracting attention from European countries.

Kucukyetim, who seriously wounded one victim and four others, revealed during interrogation that he was influenced by an individual using the pseudonym “Fjotolf Hansen” on the Steam gaming platform.

Hansen, who claimed to be from Eastern Europe, reportedly suggested making explosives and was involved in discussions about acquiring weapons.

Following Kucukyetim’s disclosure that Hansen was contemplating making explosives, several European countries reached out to Türkiye for assistance.

Kucukyetim described Hansen’s intentions, stating: “He talked about wanting to buy a weapon at his school and mentioned obtaining it through his family. He also suggested that I could make explosives. During our conversation, Hansen shared his thoughts on making explosives and even using a relative’s car in an attack, though he did not provide specific details.”

Terrorgram and links to the deadly shooting attacks

Authorities are increasingly concerned about how online forums and platforms fuel extremist ideologies. Henderson and Kucukyetim were both influenced by radical content shared in these spaces, which often provide not only ideological reinforcement but also practical instructions for attacks.

One such group, the Terrorgram Collective, which the U.S. State Department has designated as the Terrorgram Collective operates on Telegram and is known for glorifying acts of mass violence, promoting white supremacist ideologies, and offering guidance on tactics and targets. The group has been linked to multiple attacks worldwide, including incidents in Slovakia, New Jersey, and Türkiye.

The Terrorgram Collective is an online forum where members promote white supremacist ideology, incite violence and share propaganda to radicalize followers.

In September 2024, the U.S. State Department designated the Terrorgram Collective and its leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. This designation followed federal charges against two American members for soliciting hate crimes and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Attacks or attempted attacks by Terrorgram users motivated and facilitated by the group include an October 2022 shooting outside a bar in Slovakia; a July 2024 planned attack on energy facilities in New Jersey; and an August 2024 knife attack at a mosque in Türkiye.

In September 2024, DOJ charged two U.S. Terrorgram leaders with a 15-count indictment for soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

The Terrorgram Collective is being designated for having committed or attempted to commit, posing a significant risk of committing, or having participated in training to commit acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

Ciro Daniel Amorim Ferreira, Noah Licul, and Hendrik-Wahl Muller are being designated for being leaders of The Terrorgram Collective.

The designation follows the September 2024 arrest of two American Terrorgram leaders who face federal charges for soliciting hate crimes and the murder of federal officials.

Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, were indicted on 15 counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

Terrorgram’s connection to Eskisehir mass killer

A key incident connected to the designation’s international status was an August 2024 knife attack in Eskisehir, Türkiye, where an 18-year-old identified as Arda K. stabbed five people outside a mosque while livestreaming the assault.

Turkish investigators revealed that Arda K. sought to achieve ‘saint’ status within Terrorgram’s ranks and had authored a 16-page manifesto bearing Nazi symbols.

The attacker wore tactical gear characteristic of white supremacists, including a helmet and skull mask, and later confessed to being influenced by neo-Nazi ideology.

Natalie Rupnow is one of the attackers who also had links to Terrorgram and the other school shooters.

She expressed admiration for Pekka Eric Auvinen, the perpetrator of the Jokela High School massacre in Finland on November 7, 2007, Arda Kucukyetim, a Turkish neo-Nazi who stabbed five people—leaving two critically injured—in Eskisehir, Türkiye, in August 2024 and Vladislav Roslyakov, who carried out the Kerch Polytechnic College massacre in Crimea on October 17, 2018, killing 20 people and wounding 67 others before taking his own life.

On Tumblr, Rupnow’s several posts show various images of guns and pictures relating to shootings — including the account’s profile picture, which is a screenshot of a security camera from a shooting, authorities said. Such “copycat attacks” show the intense influence of the internet.

In a published photo, Rupnow is seen wearing a KMFDM t-shirt in a selfie, a detail that echoes the Columbine High School massacre.

Addressing the “subculture of violence”

Experts warn that the internet has fostered a dangerous subculture that glorifies violence and radicalizes vulnerable individuals. Perpetrators often idolize past attackers and find validation in online communities, where violence is celebrated.

While bullying is frequently cited as a factor in such incidents, some attackers report not being bullied but feeling alienated or marginalized. This ‘subculture’ particularly appeals to young people who may see violence as a path to notoriety or self-assertion.

Efforts to prevent future attacks should focus on addressing the isolation and disconnection that lead individuals down this path. Raising awareness about the consequences of violence and dismantling the glorification of attackers in online spaces are critical steps in combating this issue.