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White nationalist Coast Guard Lieutenant planned mass terrorist attack, government says


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2019 Feb 21, 2:01am   2,892 views  39 comments

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A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist has been arrested after federal investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in his Maryland home that authorities say he stockpiled to launch a massive domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists.

Christopher Paul Hasson called for "focused violence" to "establish a white homeland" and dreamed of ways to "kill almost every last person on earth," according to court records filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.

Though court documents do not detail a specific planned date for an attack, the government said he had been amassing supplies and weapons since 2017 at the latest, developed a spreadsheet of targets that included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and searched the internet using phrases such as "best place in dc to see congress people" and "are supreme court justices protected."

"The defendant intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country," the government said in court documents filed this week, arguing that Hasson should stay in jail awaiting trial.

Hasson, of Silver Spring, is expected to appear before a judge for a detention hearing in federal court in Greenbelt on Thursday.

Hasson was arrested on illegal weapons and drug charges on Friday, but the government says those charges are the "proverbial tip of the iceberg." Officials with the U.S. attorney's office in Maryland outlined in court documents Hasson's alleged plans to spark chaos and destruction, describing a man obsessed with neo-fascist and neo-Nazi views.

"Please send me your violence that I may unleash it onto their heads," Hasson wrote in a letter that prosecutors say was found in his email drafts. "Guide my hate to make a lasting impression on this world."

The Office of the Federal Public Defender, which has been ordered to represent Hasson, declined comment Wednesday.

Hasson has been working at the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington since 2016, according to court documents filed by prosecutors. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1988 to 1993 and in the Army National Guard for about two years in the mid-1990s.

Agents with the FBI field office in Baltimore and the Coast Guard Investigative Service arrested Hasson on Friday, FBI Baltimore spokesman Dave Fitz confirmed.

Court documents do not detail what prompted federal law enforcement to begin investigating Hasson, but they say he had been studying the 1,500-page manifesto of right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, who unleashed two attacks in 2011 that killed 77 people in Norway. They say Hasson's attack preparations resembled Breivik's.

Breivik took steroids and narcotics, believing it would heighten his abilities to carry out attacks. When law enforcement raided Hasson's apartment, they said they found a locked container loaded with more than 30 vials of what appeared to be human growth hormone. He has also ordered more than 4,200 pills of the narcotic Tramadol since 2016, along with synthetic urine to allegedly bypass possible random drug screenings at work.

Breivik encouraged identifying targets and traitors. In recent weeks, Hasson developed a spreadsheet of targets that included top Democratic congressional leaders and media personalities. The list includes "JOEY," what prosecutors say is a reference to former Rep. Joe Scarborough who works for MSNBC; "cortez," an alleged reference to freshman U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York); and "Sen blumen jew" presumably Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)

Authorities seized 15 firearms, including several long guns and rifles, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from his basement apartment after executing a search warrant this month. Over the last two years, he had made nearly two dozen purchases of firearms or related equipment and made thousands of visits to websites that sell weapons or tactical gear.

Authorities said Hasson harbored extremist views for years.

"The defendant is a domestic terrorist," the government said in court filings, "bent, on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct."

In an email he drafted in June 2017, he contemplated biological attacks and targeting food supplies. He considered the merits of a "bombing/sniper campaign" and included a "Things to do" list that included purchasing land "out west or possibly NC mtns" for family and researching tactics used during the civil war in Ukraine.

"During unrest target both sides to increase tension," Hasson wrote in the email, according to the court filings. "In other words provoke gov/police to over react which should help to escalate violence. BLM protests or other left crap would be ideal to incite to violence."

In another letter drafted months later to an American neo-Nazi leader, Hasson called for a "white homeland." He sent the letter to himself nearly two months after the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Va., where torch-carrying white-supremacists clashed with anti-racist protesters.

"I never saw a reason for mass protest or wearing uniforms marching around provoking people with swastikas etc.," Hasson said. "I was and am a man of action you cannot change minds protesting like that. However you can make change with a little focused violence."

Hasson's commitment to destruction appeared to increase in recent weeks, according to details from prosecutors. He created a list of "traitors" and targets on Jan. 19 in a spreadsheet on his work computer. The spreadsheet was created two days after he conducted a series of internet inquiries:

8:54 a.m.: "what if trump illegally impeached"

8:57 a.m.: "best place in dc to see congress people"

8:58 a.m.: "where in dc to congress live"

10:39 a.m.: "civil war if trump impeached"

11:26 a.m.: "social democrats usa"



http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-white-nationalist-terrorism-arrest-20190220-story.html

#Terrorist #Nationalist #DomesticTerror #homeGrown

Comments 1 - 39 of 39        Search these comments

1   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 2:04am  

For inquiring minds - the obligatory photo and yes he looks exactly like you would expect.



Hasson created a spreadsheet with a list of journalists, Democratic politicians, and socialist figures and organizations, including:

Richard Blumenthal

Cory Booker

Chris Cuomo

Kirsten Gillibrand

Kamala Harris

Chris Hayes

Van Jones

Tim Kaine

Sheila Jackson Lee

Don Lemon

Ari Melber

Ilhan Omar

Beto O'Rourke

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Nancy Pelosi

John Podesta

Joe Scarborough

Chuck Schumer

Elizabeth Warren

Maxine Waters

Democratic Socialists of America

Angela Davis

Hasson was a self-proclaimed white nationalist and a neo-Nazi skinhead who advocated for turning the Pacific Northwest into an all-white homeland as well as sending a letter to an unidentified American neo-Nazi leader. Hasson expressed dissatisfaction with holding public rallies and gaining support from the public in the letter that he wrote several weeks after the Charlottesville riots and preferred militant action, including actions targeting individual public figures he believed to be "Cultural Marxists". Hasson also was planning to use biological weapons such as the Spanish flu, botulism, and anthrax to "kill almost every last person on the earth" followed by attacks on the food supply as well as recommending stockpiling in 5 locations which were to comprise of food, firearms, clothing/military gear, and extra mortar recoilless as well as gaining combat/military experience and chemistry skills in addition to buying 3 homes and hideouts. Hasson wanted to use tactics from the Euromaidan protests and the Donbass conflict in Ukraine to raise tension between "govt/police" and "BLM protests or other left crap". Hasson was anti-Semitic as expressed in the letter "I don't know if there truly is a 'conspiracy' of (((People))) out to destroy me and mine, but there is an attack nonetheless". The same letter also referred to "muslim scum". Hasson supported Donald Trump and attempted to find out where Democratic politicians lived. This was evidenced by his recent Google searches according to the pending trial motion against him, which were "what if trump illegally impeached", "civil war if trump impeached", "best place in dc, "where in dc to congress live", "social democrats usa", "most liberal senators", "where do most senators live in dc", where in dc to see congress people", "do senators have ss protection", and "are supreme court justices protected". Hasson searched and found out the address of MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. Hasson had expressed belief in the white genocide conspiracy theory.[7][6]

According to court papers, Hasson "conducted online searches and made thousands of visits for pro-Russian, neo-fascist, and neo-Nazi literature" between January 2017 and January 2019. Fifteen firearms and 1,000 rounds of ammunition were found in his residence as well as drugs labeled "human growth hormone".[8][9] Hasson was reportedly inspired by Norweigan terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.[1][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Paul_Hasson
2   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 2:12am  

Odd - could have sworn I have ready similar statements and feelings on this forum on almost a daily basis from certain respondents - maybe it was just me and I have this place confused with another forum
3   Al_Sharpton_for_President   2019 Feb 21, 4:56am  

His plan for Scarborough’s wig is truly demented.
4   RC2006   2019 Feb 21, 4:56am  

Coast guard and he didn't even have a spear gun or a trident?
5   CBOEtrader   2019 Feb 21, 5:19am  

Thank God for Trump's executive dept taking care of business.

HRC would be the type to let this shit happen for political points.
6   HeadSet   2019 Feb 21, 6:58am  

You left out the part where the nutcase wanted to kill every one on Earth. Funny how this nutcase is given national attention with an emphasis on "white supremacy." This guy is just a nutcase just like the Democrat that shot up the Congressional baseball game and the Democrat that shot Gabby Giffords.

By the way, The Republicans and Trump do not support any for of "white supremacy." MAGA welcomes and is supported by people all races. The constant attempt to pin racism on MAGA is because you really got nothing else.
7   jimhcom   2019 Feb 21, 7:07am  

NO such thing as a "white nationalist" white is not a nation.
8   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 7:28am  

Semper Paratus - years back the Coast Guard adopted a new slogan for advertising purposes - "The Rescue Experts".

That didn't last long after a very public fuck up on the east coast where they were towing a small private boat which overturned and everyone drowned.
9   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 8:19am  

No one from the base spinning this one - why is that ?
10   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 8:20am  

Maybe the Jebus defense ?
11   MrMagic   2019 Feb 21, 8:25am  

Kakistocracy says
maybe it was just me and I have this place confused with another forum


Yes, it's you, and your confused with your buddies over at D.U.
12   MrMagic   2019 Feb 21, 8:26am  

Kakistocracy says
Hasson created a spreadsheet with a list of journalists, Democratic politicians, and socialist figures and organizations, including:

Richard Blumenthal

Cory Booker

Chris Cuomo

Kirsten Gillibrand

Kamala Harris

Chris Hayes

Van Jones

Tim Kaine

Sheila Jackson Lee

Don Lemon

Ari Melber

Ilhan Omar

Beto O'Rourke

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Nancy Pelosi

John Podesta

Joe Scarborough

Chuck Schumer

Elizabeth Warren

Maxine Waters

Democratic Socialists of America

Angela Davis


Very accurate list, when does he start?
13   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 8:34am  

Wow, a potential Terrorist from the 75% White (nominal) Christian population.

White people need to kill or plan to kill 100s a month to be death-proportional to the 1% of the Islamic Popultion.
14   MrMagic   2019 Feb 21, 8:35am  

Kakistocracy says
No one from the base spinning this one - why is that ?


Like this, the guy that actually put his plan into action?

Suspect in congressional shooting was Bernie Sanders supporter, strongly anti-Trump

(CNN)James T. Hodgkinson, the man identified as shooting a Republican member of congress and four others on Wednesday morning, was a small business owner in Illinois who defined himself publicly by his firm support of Bernie Sanders' progressive politics -- and his hatred of conservatives and President Donald Trump.

This is based on CNN's review of Hodgkinson's Facebook profiles, public records, and three years of impassioned letters to his local newspaper.

"Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." he posted on his personal Facebook page on March 22.
"Republicans are the Taliban of the USA," he posted in February.

Federal law enforcement identified Hodgkinson as the shooter who attacked Rep. Steve Scalise, a congressional staffer and members of the congressional police force, Wednesday morning in Alexandria, Virginia. Hodgkinson died following a gun battle with police, authorities said.

Hodgkinson's online presence was largely defined by his politics. For example, his public Facebook posts date back to 2012 and are nearly all about his support for liberal politics. He was passionate about tax hikes on the rich and universal health care.

Past run-ins with police
A police report in Illinois also details an incident in 2006 with Hodgkinson's daughter and her friends -- one that involved a gun. When Hodgkinson's daughter was at a female friend's home, he and his wife allegedly tried to take her away from there.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/14/homepage2/james-hodgkinson-profile/index.html

So, how's that @Kakistocracy for "spin"?
15   just_passing_through   2019 Feb 21, 8:36am  

Kakistocracy says
yes he looks exactly like you would expect.


Racist
16   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 8:41am  

Or these these incidents from the past few weeks:

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/193349-190117-muslim-arrested-in-us-terror-suspect

https://abc7news.com/sentencing-postponed-for-oakland-man-convicted-of-supporting-isis/4918063/

https://fox8.com/2019/01/17/maple-heights-man-accused-of-plotting-july-4-terror-attack-indicted/

https://nbc24.com/news/local/islamic-community-leader-speaks-out-after-suspect-is-arrested-for-domestic-terror-plot

Didn't get the same level of coverage. Though one targeted the WH itself.

Interestingly, this one - or the one with a few schmucks planning to attack Muslims in upstate NY - got much more coverage.

Remember for every Muslim attack or planned terror attack, to be proportional there must be 75 planned or committed by Whites.

Defend and advance the Narrative !
17   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 8:46am  

Also, don't you love when it's an extreme White Guy: "White Supremacist accused..."
But when it's a Muslim: "Georgia Man... Atlanta resident... New Yorker plots..."

For example:
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/forsyth-county-man-charged-with-plot-to-attack-white-house-fbi-says/905525963
18   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 8:48am  

MisterLearnToCode says
Wow, a potential Terrorist from the 75% White (nominal) Christian population.


Following in the footsteps of Tim McVeigh....and so may other mass shooters - Columbine, Parkland, Dylan Roof - etc.

Ignore what is happening here to promote the terror from aboard narrative and the drugs coming in over the desert where there is no fence even though most drugs come through regular established border crossings... where thankfully the four legged officers do their job.
19   rdm   2019 Feb 21, 8:52am  

Kakistocracy says
A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant


The Coast Guard how lame, what a pussy. Now if it had been the Space Farce...
20   Bd6r   2019 Feb 21, 8:55am  

Give him a chair...or make him serve in a DC black gay bar for a more creative punishment
21   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 8:58am  

Kakistocracy says
Following in the footsteps of Tim McVeigh....and so may other mass shooters - Columbine, Parkland, Dylan Roof - etc.


Columbine, Parkland not Terrorism, just nutjobs.

You "forgot" Orlando and San Bernadino. Oh, and the NYC Truck Attack AND Subway Attack. Far more recent than OKC.

McVeigh was a lone wolf. If I trade you OKC for 9/11 - not that they're remotely compatible: lone wolf vs. large group of internationally financed terrorists, it's still Islam for the Death Toll. Nor was McVeigh motivated by race or religion, but by "Sovereign Citizen" nonsense.

Again, 1-2% of the population
22   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:00am  

Mass shootings are not forms or degrees of domestic terrorism ?

There is no shortage of people who believe 9-11 was engineered by and carried out by our own government - I am starting to think it is probably myself the farther we move away from the event and more is slowly seeping out.
23   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 9:01am  

Kakistocracy says
Mass shootings are not forms or degrees of domestic terrorism ?


No, Terrorism needs a socio-political cause: Race, Religion, Politics.

An incel or untreated schizo having a flip out is not terrorism.
24   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:03am  

MisterLearnToCode says
Race, Religion, Politics.


The wanna be shooter had all of those - check the hit list
25   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 9:05am  

Parkland guy was a schizophrenic, unable to be forcibly hospitalized despite dozens of encounters with police and school authorities over a year or so, thanks to the Leftists in the 60s and 70s.

Told multiple people he heard voices and even asked authorities to take him away. Relatives and neighbors also asked authorities to do something about him.
26   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:08am  

Top Major Causes and Motivations of Terrorism

Loosely defined, terrorism is the use of violence with the aim of furthering a political or ideological goal at the expense of the general population. Terrorism can take many forms and has many causes, often more than one. It can have its roots in religious, social, or political conflicts, often when one community is oppressed by another.

Some terrorist events are singular acts linked to a particular historical moment, such as the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which touched off World War I. Other terrorist attacks are part of an ongoing campaign that may last years or even generations, as was the case in Northern Ireland from 1968 to 1998.

Historical Roots

Although acts of terror and violence have been committed for centuries, terrorism's modern roots can be traced to the French Revolution's Reign of Terror in 1794–95, with its gruesome public beheadings, violent street battles, and bloodthirsty rhetoric. It was the first time in modern history that mass violence was used in such a fashion, but it would not be the last.

In the latter half of the 19th century, terrorism would emerge as the weapon of choice for nationalists, particularly in Europe as ethnic groups chafed under the rule of empires. The Irish National Brotherhood, which sought Irish independence from Britain, carried out a number of bomb attacks in England in the 1880s. About the same time in Russia, the socialist group Narodnaya Volya began a campaign against the royalist government, ultimately assassinating Tsar Alexander II in 1881.

In the 20th century, acts of terrorism became more prevalent throughout the world as political, religious, and social activists agitated for change. In the 1930s, Jews living in occupied Palestine conducted a campaign of violence against the British occupiers in a quest to create the state of Israel. In the 1970s, Palestinian terrorists used then-novel methods such as hijacking airplanes to further their cause. Other groups, espousing new causes like animal rights and environmentalism, committed acts of violence in the 1980s and '90s. And in the 21st century, the rise of pan-nationalist groups like ISIS that use social media to connect its members have killed thousands in attacks in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-causes-of-terrorism-3209053

Remember seeing the small item about Hasson and being a nationalist ?

Unless my eyes are really bad - I keep seeing the word nationalist over and over and over.

Then toss the other ingredients into the mix and Voilà, home grown and bred domestic terrorist !
27   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:10am  

MisterLearnToCode says
Parkland guy was a schizophrenic


Sandy Hook, Columbine etc. ?
28   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:18am  

Someone plotting mass murders is always a few cards short of a full shuffle
29   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:20am  

Yes TT - very convenient - you got noticed for today and thanks for bumping my thread.
30   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 9:20am  

All of them were mentally ill. Sandy Hook was an autistic kid with major social and mental development disorders. He probably lost his WoW character and flipped out.

Harris was a Psychopath and Klebold severely Depressed and manipulated by the former. Harris was sent for psych counseling in the past after committing petty crimes.
That's not controversial, but the consensus.

31   Bd6r   2019 Feb 21, 9:20am  

Kakistocracy says
Sandy Hook, Columbine etc. ?

TBF I think all of those were on some kind of psychotropic medications, and we do not hear about that in MSM. Perhaps Big Pharma can be blamed for these shootings, and also for buying off MSM and politicians so this information does not get out. We keep arguing if the guy wore swastika or red star on the diapers, while pharma rakes in $$$$$$$
32   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 9:34am  

d6rB says
TBF I think all of those were on some kind of psychotropic medications, and we do not hear about that in MSM. Perhaps Big Pharma can be blamed for these shootings, and also for buying off MSM and politicians so this information does not get out



Speaking of Psycho, the LV shooter's father was a psychopath who was convicted of many crimes, if memory serves he may have committed manslaughter as well.

Additionally, I forget whether it was SPLC or ADL, but some libby terror tracker group flagrantly and dishonestly lists LV Shooting as Domestic Terror.

And finally, ONE MORE terror attack by Muslims in the past few weeks (thanks Patrick):
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2019/01/08/man-threw-rocks-brandished-knife-before-being-shot-deputy/2515024002/
www.youtube.com/embed/NZjc4dHN6Dc
33   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Feb 21, 9:37am  

Also, Kak, you forgot Fort Hood.

So let's see, here are just a few from the past few years:
Fort Hood
Orlando (Pashtu - ethnic kin to many Pakis - Father)
San Ber* (Paki Father)
NYC Subway
Boston Marathon*
NYC Truck Attack*
Curtis Culwell Center attack (Paki Father)


* Indicates by immigrant/asylee/refugee
34   mell   2019 Feb 21, 9:37am  

CBOEtrader says
Thank God for Trump's executive dept taking care of business.

HRC would be the type to let this shit happen for political points.

Yep.
35   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:38am  

There we go ! The Big Pharma Jebus Defense !

That's almost as good as this one....

Toddler Slaying: Defense argues 2-year-old’s injuries self-inflicted

In testimony, Hillary Petska, a child abuse pediatrician at the hospital, said she performed a physical exam of Walker and found bruising over nearly every part of his body and patterned bruising on his stomach, arm and upper back, indicating some form of implement, which could include a hand.

Other injuries included bleeding in the white part of his left eye, a scar and bruising inside his lip and bleeding in his nose.

Diagnostic studies, including skeletal surveys, found fractures of the right nasal bone and a bone in the middle of the foot.

A CT scan found severe brain injuries, such as a near-total loss of differentiation between grey and white matter. That usually requires a force consistent with a high-speed vehicle collision, she said.

The brain also had extensive swelling and was herniating in multiple spots, she said. Other tests showed elevated damage to muscle tissue. A retinal exam showed numerous hemorrhages in both eyes, she said.

“(The injuries) were not consistent with self-harm behaviors, and they were consistent with inflicted trauma,” Petska said.

Walker, whose mother had been an active meth user, was also prone to tantrums and forcibly injuring himself, Meyers told police. Butler said Meyers had taken Walker to a doctor after prior occasions.

“He was very hurtful to himself, he would run into walls, and bang his head against objects, like he wanted to hurt himself,” Butler said.

http://www.mininggazette.com/news/2019/02/toddler-slaying-defense-argues-2-year-olds-injuries-self-inflicted/
36   mell   2019 Feb 21, 9:43am  

d6rB says
Kakistocracy says
Sandy Hook, Columbine etc. ?

TBF I think all of those were on some kind of psychotropic medications, and we do not hear about that in MSM. Perhaps Big Pharma can be blamed for these shootings, and also for buying off MSM and politicians so this information does not get out. We keep arguing if the guy wore swastika or red star on the diapers, while pharma rakes in $$$$$$$


Agreed. SSRIs are pure evil. It's fcking disingenuous by the leftoids though to take all those loser kids of which none ever wrote anything coming even half way close to a political or religious manifesto and scream "fcuking white rightwing terrorism" while ignoring the clearly spelled out political manifestos and letters every time there's an islamic terrorist attack anywhere in the world. Pathetic.
37   anonymous   2019 Feb 21, 9:45am  

MLTC - it's been fun but I have to run to the dentist now - perhaps again sometime yes ?
39   anonymous   2019 Feb 22, 1:31am  

The Department of Justice Loves Publicizing Arrests of Alleged Terrorists — but Not the White Nationalist Coast Guard Officer

The Justice Department is not usually shy about publicizing alleged terrorism plots that it uncovers in the United States. This week, however, news broke of a violent extremist plot in the United States that court documents chillingly noted would have led to the “murder of innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country.” Outside of the court filings, however, the Justice Department did not say a word.

The plot involved Christopher Hasson, 49, a self-described white nationalist. Hasson is a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard and had amassed a terrifying arsenal of weaponry, along with a hit list of prominent liberal politicians and media figures in the country that he had allegedly been planning to kill. Hasson had been arrested on gun and drug charges but was described in court documents as a “domestic terrorist, bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct.” Among those he was planning to target included Democratic politicians Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as well as Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He also, according to court documents, planned to target CNN host Don Lemon and MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, among others.

Normally, when an alleged terrorist plot is uncovered in the U.S., the Justice Department issues a press release to let the public know about their successful investigation — even in cases that at first glance appear to be much less serious than an extremist who had already put together their own hit list and weapons cache. In this case, however, there was no such release.

Instead, the news broke to the public through the Twitter feed of Seamus Hughes, a deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, a D.C.-based counterterrorism think tank. Hughes shared the documents with the allegations against Hasson, which had apparently been posted to the court’s online docket. Without the sort of press release that tends to accompany major terrorism arrests, Hughes found Hassan’s case because he habitually checks court filings.

The administration’s silence fits a pattern. A study published last year by the Washington-based Institute for Social Policy and Understanding showed that the Justice Department was six times more likely to issue press releases in alleged plots that involved Muslims than non-Muslims. The press releases are particularly important since they tend to trigger news coverage and public awareness of cases.

The information about Hasson gleaned from the documents paints the picture of a man obsessed with far-right conspiracy theories and visions of destroying the existing social order. According to the allegations against him, Hasson was obsessed with the need for a “white homeland” and had made preparations for acts of violence intended to plunge the U.S. into political turmoil. His alleged plot appears to have drawn heavily from the manifesto of Anders Breivik, an anti-Muslim radical who killed 77 people in a deadly rampage in Norway in 2011. Breivik’s actions remain an inspiration to many on the extremist fringe today, including Hasson, whose plot allegedly corresponded with many of the instructions contained in Breivik’s manifesto.

In a draft email contained in filings against Hasson, he spoke in terms also distinctly similar to those associated with the “alt-right” movement and the network of extremist supporters of President Donald Trump. “Liberalist/globalist ideology is destroying traditional peoples esp white. No way to counteract without violence,” Hasson wrote. “It should push for more crack down bringing more people to our side. Much blood will have to be spilled to get whitey off the couch.”

Last year, a Institute for Social Policy and Understanding study found that cases of attempted violence involving Muslim suspects received 7 1/2 times more coverage from major media outlets than those involving non-Muslims. While Hasson’s case was picked up after court filings were posted on social media, it seems that in this case, the government was uninterested in publicizing information about a white nationalist terrorism plot that its own filings claim would have resulted in catastrophic violence. This selectivity also seems to be part of a pattern.

While the allegations against him have yet to be tested in court, at first glance Hasson’s case seems to add to concerns about the growth of far-right violence in the United States. Gauging the true scale and scope of this phenomenon is a difficult task. In future, though — and to dispel accusations of bias — it’d be helpful if the Justice Department would at least let the public know about it.

https://theintercept.com/2019/02/21/white-nationalist-coast-guard-terrorism-justice-department-christopher-hasson/

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