On October 14, 2016, three men from Kansas were arrested as suspected terrorists, for a terrorist plot in southwestern Kansas in Garden City, Kansas. The accused terrorists are charged with planning to target a Garden City, Kansas apartment complex that houses a Muslim mosque and a large number of members of the Somali community. After their arrest on October 14, they appeared in court to face charges on appeared in federal court to face a charge of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives). This would be a violation of Arson/Explosives and Weapons of Mass Destruction statutes (18 U.S.C. §§ 844 and 2332a). Per the federal complaint, the accused terrorists plotted a series of attacks on Muslims, including “murder, kidnapping, rape, and arson,” indicated plans to shoot Muslims in the head, and showed no remorse at plots against even the death of children, “even if it’s a one-year old.” According to the federal complaint, the terrorist plot including efforts to manufacture Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD) to be used in Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in terrorist acts.
They are charged with planning a terrorist attack to target a Muslim mosque with a bomb, and to plant four bombs in automobiles around an apartment building. The apartment building held a number of Somali immigrants. The suspected terrorists were named in a federal complaint for their arrest as Curtis Allen and Gavin Wright of Liberal, Kansas, and Patrick Eugene Stein of Wright, Kansas. The terrorist suspects claimed to be members of a Christian extremist “Crusader” terrorist group, which according to the federal complaint, “whose members support and espouse sovereign citizen, anti-government, anti-Muslim, and anti-immigrant extremist beliefs.” The complaint states that the accused terrorists “routinely expressed a hatred for Muslims, individuals of Somali descent, and immigrants.”
Per the federal complaint, the accused terrorists also reportedly discussed plans for attacking Christian churches that supported refugees. There is limited information in the federal complaint on the accused plot for attacking Christian churches that supported refugees. But the complaint addresses their primary focus to attack mosques, Muslims, and Somali immigrants.
All three men are currently in the Sedgwick County jail on one count of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, all three could face life in prison.
The federal complaint alleges that since February the FBI has been investigating the defendants’ activities, including their plans to carry out a violent attack against Muslims in southwestern Kansas. A confidential human source (CHS) attended meetings of the group, wearing a body recorder, and provided the FBI with information and recordings about the defendants’ activities. In addition, the girlfriend of Curtis Allen went to the police with information about their explosives and plots.
The federal criminal complaint alleges that the men conducted surveillance to identify potential targets, stockpiled firearms, ammunition and explosive components, and planned to issue a manifesto in conjunction with the planned bombing. Reports are stating that the planned terrorist attack was to take place on November 9, the day after the 2016 U.S. elections. The attack, the defendants said, would be intended to “wake people up.”
The accused terrorists also used a telephone application called “Zello” that allows the user to communicate with other Zello users as if their cellular telephones were push-to-talk walkie-talkies.
According to the federal criminal complaint filed October 14, 2016, the accused terrorist had been “regularly meeting and planning to carry out a violent attack against Muslims in their community and have taken steps in furtherance of accomplishing this, including identifying a target location.”
The investigation stated that the accused terrorists conducted several surveillances “on a mall frequented by members of the Somali community, and a mosque located in an apartment complex, as well as on various vehicles believed to be occupied by individuals of Somali descent or Muslims.” This terrorist plot surveillance activities were conducted by accused terrorist Patrick Stein, and they appeared to begin in February 2016. Per the complaint, “During the surveillance, STEIN had with him a pistol, an assault rifle with several magazines, a ballistic vest, and a night vision scope. He also mentioned to the CHS that he had done several surveillances like this on his own in the past and that he always made sure he was armed. STEIN also discussed Oklahoma City and the bomb used (referring to the fuel oil and ammonium nitrate device used by Timothy McVeigh to destroy the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City). He was looking for any more explosives or things he could use to blow things up.”
The Confidential Human Source (CHS) recorded a telephone conversation in April 2016 between Patrick Stein and other terrorist conspirators, where he reportedly stated: “Make sure if you start using your bow on them cockroaches, make sure you dip them in pig’s blood before you shoot them.”
At a May 2016 meeting, the complaint states that accused terorist Curtis Allen stated: “We need to get some signs made up…hundreds of them, kind of like the redneck deal, ‘here’s your sign’ and just put right there on it: I SUPPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, I GO AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION ON A DAILY BASIS, I DO NOT HAVE ANY CARE FOR MY FELLOW CITIZENS IN THE STATE OR IN THE TOWN THAT I REPRESENT…and then for every one of them that we blow the top of their head off we just put that around their neck.”
During a June 2016 conference call recorded by the FBI, the complaint states that accused terrorist Patrick Stein identified Garden City as a target and he stated: “I mean I wouldn’t be against if I could get a hold of some RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades), I’ll run some RPG’s right through…” and during another June 2016 conference call recorded by the FBI, Patrick Stein stated: “the only fucking way this country’s ever going to get turned around is it will be a bloodbath and it will be a nasty, messy (expletive)….we might be too late, if they do wake up…I think we can get it done. But it ain’t going to be nothing nice about it.”
In June 2016, the complaint states that the accused terrorists stated on a recorded conference call between Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen, and reportedly “with a larger group,” “discussed targeting churches in Garden City that have supported refugees. While discussing a particular church STEIN said, ‘That (expletive) needs burnt to the ground.’ When the discussion turned to burning mosques, WRIGHT stated, ‘Yeah, during prayer time.’ ”
The complaint states that: “[i]n July 2016, STEIN, ALLEN, WRIGHT, and the CHS met in person at G&G Mobile Home Center (‘G&G’), a business in Liberal, Kansas owned by WRIGHT, and at which ALLEN works. During the meeting, STEIN and ALLEN proposed and discussed a wide range of potential targets, including Muslim-occupied apartment complexes, residences, and places of worship, city/county commission meetings, local public officials, landlords who rent property to Muslim refugees, and organizations providing assistance to Muslim refugees. While they were discussing these plans, WRIGHT pulled up Google Maps on the computer at his business and began dropping pins on the map at these various locations using the label ‘cockroaches.’ Prior to the meeting WRIGHT researched guides for making explosives and printed off a substantial number of pages of this material. The group brainstormed various methods of attack, including murder, kidnapping, rape, and arson. They decided to pick a specific target at their next meeting. At one point, ALLEN stated: ‘We’re going to talk about killing people and going to prison for life. Less than sixty days, maybe forty days until something major happens. We need to be preemptive before something happens.’ STEIN responded: ‘The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.’ At another point in the conversation, STEIN said: ‘If you’re a Muslim I’m going to enjoy shooting you in the head.’ Then he told the group, ‘When we go on operations there’s no leaving anyone behind, even if it’s a one-year old, I’m serious. I guarantee if I go on a mission those little (expletive) are going bye-bye.’ ”
The complaint states that: “On August 14, 2016, STEIN, ALLEN, WRIGHT, and the CHS met at G&G. During this meeting, the group ultimately decided on a particular apartment complex in Garden City, Kansas, as the target location of their attack due to the number of members of the Somali community that live there and the fact that one of the apartments is used as a mosque. They decided that they would obtain four vehicles, fill them with explosives, and park them at the four corners of the apartment complex to create a big explosion. ALLEN stated that he could make the explosives and mentioned aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate, among other components. Later he said he already had the materials needed to make the explosives. Once he had assembled the explosives, ALLEN said the group would need to test them prior to the execution of the plan to make sure they worked. He also mentioned that he could detonate the bombs with a cell phone, and they discussed having militia members in different states purchase prepaid cell phones for them so that they could not be traced. The group researched mosque prayer times online to determine when the most people would be around. WRIGHT was tasked with ordering glassware in order to make the bombs. STEIN was instructed to get a rock tumbler to crush cans into aluminum powder. The CHS was told to do reconnaissance at the complex to look for security cameras and take pictures and such. ALLEN decided he would work on the group’s manifesto to release in conjunction with the attack. They discussed not wanting to get caught and wanting for this to be the first of several things they do. This meeting was recorded by the CHS via consensual monitoring.”
The complaint states that: “On September 13, 2016, STEIN and the CHS spoke over Zello during which STEIN stated they would need a 35-gallon container (trash can) if not a 55-gallon container in which to store explosive material. STEIN suggested the group would need 4 – 6 trash cans in order to avoid suspicion. STEIN believes the trash cans should be in place at a mosque no earlier than three (3) hours prior to detonation in order to avoid suspicion.”
The federal complaint also states that an FBI Undercover Covert Employee (UCE) was used in the investigation. The complaint states that: “During the course of the investigation, agents had the CHS introduce an FBI Undercover Covert Employee (UCE) to STEIN, under the ruse that the CHS worked for the UCE delivering money and contraband and that the UCE could provide automatic weapons and components for explosive devices to STEIN and the others. On October 12, 2016, STEIN met with the UCE at a rural location in Finney County, Kansas. The FBI UCE (and other FBI UCEs who were present in a support capacity) were holding automatic weapons that were provided from the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. STEIN asked the UCE if he could shoot the weapons. STEIN was given the opportunity to shoot the weapons and shot both a 5.56 fully automatic rifle and a 7.62X39 fully automatic rifle.”
The complaint states that: “After STEIN shot the rifles during this meeting, he spoke to the UCE regarding the price of the rifles as well as the location of the apartment complex. STEIN agreed to go to Garden City and show the UCE the apartment complex that houses the mosque. While in the vehicle with the UCE, STEIN discussed trading drugs for explosives. STEIN also told the UCE that WRIGHT and ALLEN have previously mixed explosives at G&G in Liberal, Kansas. STEIN stated that he has fertilizer (Ammonium Nitrate) for the device and the fertilizer is located about sixty miles away. (Both STEIN’s residence and G&G are located approximately 60 miles away from where this meeting took place.) STEIN directed the UCE to the apartment complex in Garden City. This apartment complex houses a mosque and a large number of members of the Somali community. When the UCE drove by the apartment complex, STEIN told the UCE that the apartment complex is ‘full of goddamn cockroaches.'” “At the same meeting, STEIN and the UCE discussed making a device for which STEIN will deliver the Ammonium Nitrate. STEIN told the UCE about the recent arrest of ALLEN (ALLEN had been arrested by local authorities the previous day) and stated that ALLEN’s girlfriend ‘needs to disappear’ because she is a concern. STEIN stated he believes that ALLEN’s girlfriend is giving information to local law enforcement. STEIN also told the UCE that he can come up with $200-$300 along with Ammonium Nitrate for the explosive device. The UCE agreed to this arrangement and promised to contact STEIN in the near future to finalize the plan.”
The complaint states that: “On October 11, 2016 at 1633 hours, Liberal Police Department (LPD) was contacted by a female who identified herself as ALLEN’s girlfriend at a residence she shares with ALLEN, in Liberal, Kansas, regarding a domestic battery. This female advised the LPD dispatcher that she was battered by ALLEN during an argument over money and her leaving their residence. She also advised the LPD dispatcher that ALLEN had access to firearms and had already fled the scene. Finally, she showed LPD officers a room in the residence containing a large amount of ammunition, brass casings, components and tools for use in the manufacture of ammunition and firearms.”
The complaint states that: “At approximately 1710 hours, officers located a maroon 1999 GMC Yukon, bearing a Kansas tag at G&G. ALLEN was believed to be inside. As LPD officers were planning on making contact with ALLEN, WRIGHT and ALLEN left the business and traveled south on Highway 83 from Tucker Road in separate vehicles. LPD officers stopped both vehicles and ALLEN was taken into custody. A search of ALLEN’s vehicle revealed a large amount of ammunition, multiple AR-15 magazines, an AK47 magazine, and a Glock handgun magazine, all loaded with ammunition. Also located was a tool used to create baffles for firearm silencers or suppressors.”
“Later in the day on October 11, 2016, ALLEN’s girlfriend provided the following information to the FBI: Within the last two weeks she had witnessed a white powdery substance being produced on the counter at G&G in a manner consistent with YouTube videos she observed with ALLEN depicting the process of manufacturing explosives. She also observed glassware and a long glass stirring stick being used to manufacture the explosives while at G&G. She saw hydrogen peroxide, fuel tablets and cheesecloth being used for the manufacture of explosives. In addition, she describes the substance being cooled in an ice bath (she stated the substance was so unstable it needs to be produced in a climate controlled environment).”
“Kansas Highway Patrol Technical Trooper Bomb Technician BRODI GOSCH has reviewed statements made by ALLEN’s girlfriend and, based on his training and experience, believes them to be consistent with the manufacturing of a homemade explosive known as Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD). This is known as a primary explosive, very sensitive to heat, shock and friction. This primary explosive presents a significant public safety hazard and is usually used to create homemade blasting caps to initiate a larger explosive.”
“On October 12, 2016 search warrants were conducted at ALLEN’s residence and G&G. A possible detonator was found inside G&G. The detonator was believed to be HMTD. Agents also found a black thermometer, bamboo chopsticks with a white substance, Hydrogen Peroxide 3%, Hydrogen Peroxide 35% (food grade), possible urea, and possible urea fertilizer. All of the substances can be used in the production of improvised explosives. Agents used a chemical testing tool to test the white substance on the bamboo chopsticks. The white substance tested positive for Hexamine, an ingredient in HMTD. A yellow binder and paperwork labeled ‘The Anarchist Cookbook,’ was also found inside G&G.”
“Inside ALLEN’s residence, agents found a Sharps .22 caliber handgun and a Glock 19 handgun. Agents also found at least four ‘ammo cans’ full of ammunition, at least 13 boxes of ammunition and countless loose ammunition. LPD officers estimated that they found and seized close to a metric ton of ammunition in ALLEN’s residence.”
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) calls for all Americans and our fellow human beings to respect the human rights, human dignity, and safety of all people, including all rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). R.E.A.L. views that terrorist plots and terrorist acts are an attack such shared human rights for all people and we urge all to do everything they can to prevent and discourage such atrocities against our fellow human beings.