An individual from Ontario, previously associated with a neo-Nazi organization, admitted to terrorism-related crimes and expressed remorse for his actions during a court appearance in Toronto. Matthew Althorpe, who acknowledged being part of the Atomwaffen Division terror group from around 2018 until its dissolution in 2020 or 2021, confessed to creating and disseminating white supremacist propaganda. Additionally, he was identified as one of the leaders of Terrorgram, a network on Telegram that promoted hateful and violent ideologies.
Althorpe, hailing from the Niagara Region, co-authored manifestos and produced media advocating violence against various ethnic and religious groups. His defense lawyer, Robb MacDonald, urged the judge to consider a sentence of 12 to 14 years, contrasting the Crown’s request for a 20-year term. MacDonald emphasized Althorpe’s guilty plea to terrorism charges as a sign of remorse and argued for a more lenient sentence due to his lack of concrete plans to execute attacks.
Conversely, Crown prosecutor Amber Pashuk highlighted the tangible harm caused by Althorpe’s actions, citing instances where his content on Terrorgram allegedly inspired terrorist acts. These included an assault on the LGBTQ+ community in Slovakia resulting in two fatalities in 2022, and a mosque stabbing incident in Turkey in 2024 that left five individuals injured.
MacDonald depicted Althorpe as a troubled young man who, grappling with untreated mental health issues and childhood trauma, gravitated towards white supremacist circles as a coping mechanism. Describing him as a “ticking time bomb,” MacDonald attributed Althorpe’s descent into extremism to a convergence of personal challenges that steered him down a destructive path.
Initially facing eight terrorism charges, Althorpe admitted guilt to three counts after his arrest by the RCMP in December 2023. His sentencing is scheduled for March 27.
