The man accused of carrying out a deadly shooting at Florida State University last Thursday had a documented history of neo-Nazi sympathies and white supremacist rhetoric, according to findings released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Phoenix Ikner, the 22-year-old alleged gunman, is accused of killing two people and injuring six others in a campus attack. While the motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, the ADL has identified alarming ties between Ikner and far-right extremist ideology based on his online presence and digital footprints. According to the ADL’s Center on Extremism, Ikner was “an avid gamer and YouTuber” who used aliases and screen names referencing Nazi imagery and white supremacist groups. Among his usernames was “Schutzstaffel,” a direct reference to the SS — the infamous Nazi paramilitary organization responsible for executing Hitler’s Final Solution. His profiles also reportedly featured logos of the Patriot Front, a white nationalist group linked to hundreds of antisemitic propaganda incidents in 2023. One image uncovered by the ADL depicted Adolf Hitler with a cartoon speech bubble saying “Nein!” — part of what researchers say was a pattern of glorifying the Third Reich and signaling extremist affiliations online. “He was immersed in a world where white supremacy and the glorification of violence intersect,” said Carla Hill, Senior Director at the ADL’s Center on Extremism. “This is yet another chilling reminder of how online extremism can bleed into real-world violence.” Ikner sustained injuries during the shooting and remains hospitalized. Authorities have yet to confirm whether he acted alone or if he had communicated his plans in advance. Multiple students have come forward describing Ikner as a combative and radical presence on campus. FSU student Lucas Luzietti said he took a class with Ikner in 2023 and frequently clashed with him over his far-right views and racist remarks. According to Luzietti, Ikner openly expressed hostility toward Black Americans. “He wasn’t shy about his views. He wanted people to know he was angry and armed,” said Luzietti. In a separate interview with NBC News, Reid Seybold — a former student at Tallahassee State College — recalled that Ikner was expelled from a political discussion group for violating their only rule: “No Nazis.” Seybold said, “He espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric and far-right extremism, we had no choice but to ask him to leave.” The ADL noted that the Patriot Front group frequently appears in cases of white supremacist propaganda and incitement. In 2023, the organization was responsible for 431 documented cases of antisemitic messaging, often invoking the slogan: “No Zionists in government, we serve one Nation.” The watchdog noted that “Zionists,” in the context of these materials, is a thinly veiled reference to Jews. Ikner’s case joins a legacy of mass shooters who harbored neo-Nazi beliefs or expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler. From the 1999 Columbine massacre, where shooter Eric Harris openly idolized Nazis, to more recent attacks by individuals like Nikolas Cruz in Parkland, Florida, and Jeff Weise in Minnesota, the pattern of ideological extremism merging with school violence has become disturbingly common. In the past four months alone, two school shooters — Natallie Rupnow and Solomon Henderson — carried out deadly attacks after leaving behind neo-Nazi manifestos. Henderson, in particular, cited antisemitic conspiracies and praised far-right commentator Candace Owens for influencing his views. (YWN World Headquarters […]