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US Army veteran among group of suspected neo-Nazis arrested by FBI on gun charges
From a reputable source, Task and Purpose [taskandpurpose.com],
GREENBELT, Md. (Reuters) - Three suspected members of a neo-Nazi group appeared in a Maryland court on Thursday to face federal charges after the FBI arrested them for carrying an assault rifle and planning to incite violence at a gun-rights rally in Virginia.
Earlier on Thursday, the FBI arrested the trio: Brian Lemley, 33, a former cavalry scout in the U.S. Army; Patrik Mathews, 27, a combat engineer in the Canadian Army Reserve who authorities said had illegally entered the United States; and William Bilbrough, a teenager who prosecutors called a serious flight risk, saying he expressed a desire to fight with Ukrainian nationalists.
Their appearance in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, came the day after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency banning any weapons around the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond.
He said investigators had seen groups making threats of violence ahead of the gun-rights rally planned at the legislative building for Monday.
Canadians? Teenagers? South Park predicted all of this!
Federal prosecutors said the three suspects were members of the neo-Nazi group The Base, a small militant organization dedicated to committing violence against minorities and obstructing authorities from learning about their activities. When Lemley and Mathews were arrested, they smashed their cellphones and dumped them into the toilet before submitting to federal agents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Windom said.
Standing calmly before Judge Charles Day, Lemley wore a T-shirt and pajama pants, while Mathews sported camouflage pants and a bushy blond beard.
Both men answered "yes" when the judge asked if they understood the charges against them, which include transporting a firearm with intent to commit an offense. They answered "no" when asked if they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Bilbrough, redheaded and wearing glasses, listened as prosecutors read the charges against him, including transporting and harboring aliens. He smiled several times as prosecutors described his alleged activity with the Base.
"The Base"? Was that not what AlQueda meant in Arabic? Ginger terrorists!
