1/ This is Vasillios Pistolis. He’s a 19-year-old US Marine. He claimed he “cracked skulls” at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last August.
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2/ He also acted as a leader in the Atomwaffen Division—a secretive neo-Nazi group that talks abt overthrowing the US gov't & igniting a race war. Here’s a Tweet Pistolis sent. He pulled down his Twitter after @ProPublica & @FrontlinePBS contacted him. propub.li/2roLvdR
3/ Atomwaffen members and associates have been charged in five murders and for possession of explosives. Here’s our reporting on the group: propub.li/2rjlIUe
4/ On Twitter, Pistolis celebrated Nicolas Giampa, a 17-year-old Atomwaffen recruit charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents last year in Virginia. huffingtonpost.com/entry/nicholas…
5/ Violating military guidelines, he participated in last year’s deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA.
6/ In private online chats with other Atomwaffen members he talked about his desire to assault a gay man in Charlottesville and use his military training to kill his opponents “if shit goes down.” propub.li/2roLvdR
7/ In a chatroom for attendees of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Pistolis also discussed his hatred for people of color and Jews. Here’s a post from the chatroom: propub.li/2roLvdR
8/ He made a special flag for the event—it was a mash-up of the Confederate battle flag and the Sonnenrad, a circular Nazi emblem. He shared images of the flag with his comrades online. propub.li/2roLvdR
9/ Later he posted photos of himself using the wooden flagpole to assault counter-protesters on August 12. propub.li/2roLvdR
10/ After the violence, Pistolis shared a photo of the flag with other Atomwaffen members. It was covered in blood. “Not my blood,” he told them. The group put the image on Twitter. propub.li/2roLvdR
11/ In Atomwaffen chats he wrote, “who needs opsec when you crush commies skulls with wooden dowls,” apparently referring to the wooden dowel rod he used as a flagpole. He summed up his actions: “Today cracked 3 skulls open with virtually no damage to myself.”
12/ Pistolis also boasted—repeatedly—about attacking an anti-fascist counter-protester during the torch-lit march on Aug. 11. In Atomwaffen chats, Pistolis bragged that he “drop kicked Emily gorcenski,” a data scientist & transwoman from Charlottesville.
13/ Photos and video show Pistolis participating in the march. Watch:
14/ After the rally, Pistolis joked about the murder of Heather Heyer, who was run down by a Dodge Charger allegedly driven by James Alex Fields, a neo-Nazi from Ohio. Fields is facing murder charges. propub.li/2roLvdR
15/ In interviews with @ProPublica and @FrontlinePBS, Gorcenski identified Pistolis as one of her attackers. Pistolis told us he wasn’t in Charlottesville and didn’t assault Gorcenski. He claimed he’d “infiltrated” Atomwaffen on behalf of another white supremacist group.
16/ Last fall Pistolis was pushed out of Atomwaffen. Other members accused him of risking unwanted attention for the group by showing up with Atomwaffen flag at a rally in Tennessee. He then got involved with the Traditionalist Worker Party, another neo-Nazi group.
17/ The military prohibits white supremacist activity. A Marine Corps spokesman said the Corps would likely launch a formal probe into Pistolis’ behavior in Virginia. propub.li/2roLvdR
18/ @ProPublica and @FrontlinePBS are investigating the violent edge of the white power movement for a doc film coming later this year. If you have a tip please contact @acinvestigates, @awinston and @jphanrahan. propub.li/2roLvdR
19/ Sign up for ProPublica’s weekly newsletter here: propub.li/2rp2xYv
