Web sites connected with the group are emerging across the United States and in parts of Europe.

New leader: Matt Hale

It has found notoriety after Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, one of its former members, went on a shooting spree before killing himself.

Two people were murdered and at least six injured in his rampage across Illinois and Indiana.

The World Church of the Creator was founded in 1973 by Ben Klassen, who advocated a RaHoWa, or Racial Holy War.

Two decades later the group was forced to dissolve after one of its members was convicted of a racially-motivated murder in Florida and in 1993 Mr Klassen committed suicide.

But the group resurfaced four years later with Reverend Matt Hale taking the helm as Pontifex Maximus or supreme leader.

Under Mr Hale's guidance membership has grown, and attracted young, computer literate followers, who have spread the group's message across the Internet.

Children's site

The organisation's main site advertises itself as "one of the finest White Power" pages on the Web. On the home page is an advert for the White Man's Bible.

It refers to "inferior mud races", adding "the most dangerous of all is the Jewish race" and calls on users to "debate and recruit new people" through Internet discussion groups.

From a links page, site visitors can click to the group's children's site. The site says its purpose is "to help the younger members of the White Race understand our fight".

There are also links to a teens site and the Women's Frontier, a site devoted to "our White Sisters in the Church worldwide".

All the sites are also on a Webring, which was quick to distance itself from the Smith shootings.

Three degrees

Within hours of a connection with Mr Hale's church being announced by the FBI, the webring published a new official policy.

The policy said it strongly supported the beliefs of the World Church of the Creator but did not support violence.

Referring to the shootings it added: "While we do not know whether the accused is guilty or not, that is for the injustice system to decide, we do not believe that these crimes are what is commonly being deemed, 'Hate Crimes'.''

Mr Hale said his organisation, which claims to have about 3,000 members, did not condone violence or law-breaking.