US law enforcement officials have charged four members of a black nationalist organization with allegations of collaborating with Russian intelligence agencies. The founder of the organization African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru movement, Omali Yeshitela, and two party members are said to have been unofficial agents of Russia.
According to the indictment in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday (local time), all three and one other party member are also accused of conspiracy for Russia; up to ten years imprisonment.
According to the indictment, the group is said to have tried, among other things, to influence the 2020 elections in the USA in the interests of Russia. In 2022, the fourth defendant and his offshoot organization Black Hammer are said to have also received money to support Russian interests in connection with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The four suspects are said to have received money and other support from US-based Russian Alexander Ionov and from Russian FSB operatives in Moscow. Ionov, who is said to be back in Russia in the meantime, had previously been charged in the United States. He had appeared in the US as leader of Russia’s Moscow-based anti-globalization movement.
Partnership with Ionov’s group
US activist Yeshitela reportedly partnered with Ionov’s group on a 2015 trip to Russia. All four defendants are accused of knowing that Ionov was working for Russia.
The indictment in Florida also specifies allegations against Ionov and also charges two FSB employees in Russia. It is also about the allegation of having supported an unnamed group in California that sought the separation of the state from the United States.
In addition, the Russian Natalia Burlinova, who as head of the organization PICREADI is said to have tried to recruit US citizens for the Russian secret service, was charged in Washington.
Alleged interference in US elections
The allegations show how far the Russian government and the FSB secret service went to influence elections in the US and sow discord, warned Kurt Ronnow of the FBI leadership.
The black nationalist movement in the United States, associated with names like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, was particularly popular in the mid-20th century. She stands for a confrontation with the US state to fight for the interests of African Americans in the US, who often suffer from racism.
The APSP, which was founded in 1972, says it wants to defend “the African working class” against “American capitalist and colonialist dominance”. (AFP)
