Ryan Ikner, a 20-year-old student at Florida State University, is believed to have shot four or five people near the university’s student union. This close call happened on a typical afternoon just recently. The incident has rippled through the community like an earthquake, shocking and saddening many. It provides a glimpse into the disturbing online activity and radicalized mindset Ikner demonstrated leading up to the attack. He is still recovering from serious injuries suffered in the shooting. Doctors are projecting he’ll be in the hospital for a long haul.
Ikner reportedly used a gun owned by his stepmother, a veteran deputy herself, with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. This latest incident should alarm us all regarding the access to weapons for people who show these types of extremist tendencies. This case is a sad reminder of the dangers of radicalization and how hateful ideologies can poison young minds.
A Disturbing Online Trail
A brief examination of Ikner’s online activities indicate a worrisome trend towards radical conspiracy theorist and white nationalist ideologies. His digital footprint shows a repeated search history for “scientific racism” and “national confederate flag.” To be fair, this would imply that he’s really into stories about white supremacy. Additionally, he posed with symbols of Patriot Front, the preeminent White nationalist organization in the U.S. right now.
Ikner’s posts were filled with graphic imagery and language on his social media. He used a profile photo of Adolf Hitler as his own profile pic. The photo included the word “Nein” in a thought bubble, revealing a disturbing attraction to one of history’s most evil monsters. He used the number “88” in his online handles, a well-known White supremacist code that represents “Heil Hitler.”
“Basically our only rule was no Nazis — colloquially speaking — and he espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric, and far-right rhetoric as well, to the point where we had to exercise that rule,” said Reid Seybold, a peer who interacted with Ikner online.
This deeply disturbing digital paper trail further demonstrates his disturbing obsession with Nazi Germany. It exposes his apparent descent into White supremacist ideologies that have been linked to the uptick in violent extremism over the past few years.
The Impact of Extremism
The overlap between extremism and violence has experts on the left and right sounding alarms. Carla Hill, a policy analyst focused on extremist behavior, explained the lethality that people like Ikner can bring. She continued, “What we’re seeing is really a super alarming trend, but this person takes this true form of extremism, if not ideology and mentality, or at the least has been significantly influenced by this extremism.
Ikner’s writings were thick with allusions to Nazi propaganda and antisemitic screeds. The term “TND,” short for “total death,” appeared frequently in his social media accounts. Other racist organizations have adopted it as a shorthand to signal violent intent. Young people are being radicalized and recruited into extremist ideologies more than ever before through virtual online spaces. This incendiary trend has led to dangerous real-world violence.
“Neither one means anything in particular but they’re part of the broader story,” Hill added, emphasizing how seemingly innocuous terms can mask dangerous ideologies.
Communities are still desperately trying to understand the impact of this shocking event. Countless others are calling for greater education and prevention efforts to stop radicalization before it starts.
Community Response and Calls for Action
The shooting has prompted a massive backlash among students and faculty at FSU. At the very least, they’re demanding answers and immediate action from the university administrators. Others still are calling for stronger mental health resources and educational programs focused on preventing radicalization in our young people.
The attack is yet another reminder of the unique duty that majority-white institutions have to protect their campuses and larger communities from violent hate. Ikner’s gestures have ignited the increasing recognition. If we ever hope to prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future, we have to recognize and resist extremist ideologies where they appear.
Leave a Reply