Mass murder plot arrest exposes sinister men’s cult

The arrest of an Ohio man accused of plotting mass murder at a sorority has shed new light on the ‘‘incel’’ movement – sexually frustrated young men who harbour a hatred of women.

Tres Genco, 21, was charged with attempting a hate crime and illegally possessing a machinegun. Prosecutors say Genco, who allegedly wrote in a manifesto that he would ‘‘slaughter’’ women ‘‘out of hatred, jealousy and revenge’’, identified as an ‘‘involuntary celibate’’.

His is accused of being part of a growing movement in which men blame women for their inability to form relationships. They communicate on message boards online and their ideologies intersect with far-right extremism and male supremacy. Incel rules stipulate: ‘‘If someone touched your mouth with her mouth voluntarily, you are not an incel.’’

Investigators allege that Genco, who was arrested on Wednesday, hoped to ‘‘aim big’’ and kill as many as 3000 people.

Over months, prosecutors claim, Genco planned a mass shooting, carried out surveillance and purchased weapons. On the same day he wrote his manifesto, they say, Genco searched online for fraternities and sororities in Ohio.

In his posts on a popular incel website between July 2019 and March last year, he allegedly expressed admiration for Elliot Rodger, the movement’s founder, who in 2014 killed six and injured 14 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in a knife, gun and car attack.

Genco, who was discharged from basic army training, was exposed when an unnamed individual phoned the police to say he had made threats of violence. When they searched Genco’s car, investigators found a cache of weapons.

If found guilty of attempting a hate crime, he could face up to life in prison. Experts say the incel community numbers tens of thousands. Alex DiBranco, founder of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, said it was ‘‘becoming more extreme and growing’’.