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Militant neo-nazi group surfaces in Colorado

The Atomwaffen Division, a neo-nazi group which has been linked to five murders, has disbanded and rebranded itself as the National Socialist Order.
Credit: AWD

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Neo-nazi stickers placed on business windows in this city indicate the white supremacy group formerly known as Atomwaffen is attempting to reestablish itself after several of its members were arrested by the FBI this past year. 

The National Socialist Order (NSO), which has been born out of the now-defunct Atomwaffen Division, has established a new website and social media accounts to share its racists' views. The white supremacist group calls for violence and civil war within the United States. 

The Atomwaffen Division was linked to five murders before it disbanded after federal authorities arrested several members of the group this past spring.

9Wants to Know obtained a Colorado Springs Police report describing how a man dressed in camouflage pants was seen putting up a racist NSO sticker on a business window over a Black Lives Matter poster. 

In the report from September 3, the owner of a targeted LGBTQ-owned business describes the man as “wearing a short sleeve, tight white t-shirt with aggressive red and black lettering on it, a mask with bones on the face with just his eyes showing, camo pants tucked into combat boots…” 

The sticker contained an image of Adolf Hitler, a swastika and an email for recruitment. 

Other NSO stickers have been spotted in other parts of Colorado Springs, including the local bus depot. 

Online, the National Socialist Order has established a new website that features many of the militant hallmarks of the Atomwaffen Division, including references to James Mason, a prominent neo-nazi who lives in Denver. 

In 2019, 9Wants to Know encountered James Mason who said he doesn’t take responsibility for inspiring acts of violence but said if people were going to commit violence, they should “do it right.” 

Over the last year the FBI has targeted several members of the now-defunct Atomwaffen group for threatening journalists and activists. 

After a series of arrests of Atomwaffen members, Mason told the Westword in March Atomwaffen was disbanding. 

However, from his downtown apartment, Mason has been actively making racist videos and references the National Socialist Order. These videos have been shared by the NSO social media accounts.

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