News

US militants arrested in staged plot

September 5, 2020 01:43 PM


Twitter Share Facebook Share WhatsApp Share

Two Americans who belong to the far-right movement known as Boogaloo Bois have been arrested after providing gun silencers to people they believed to be from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, officials said Friday.

Michael Solomon, 30, and Benjamin Teeter, 22, have been charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Justice Department said.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, refuses to recognize Israel and is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States.

Boogaloo Bois is a loose-knit movement that shares followers with some neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, as well as with libertarians and anarchists.

The stridently anti-police and anti-authority movement promotes a "boogaloo" -- a new civil war to overthrow the government.

Few had heard of it before this year.

But the group drew attention after African American George Floyd was killed by police in May in Minneapolis, when its members joined street demonstrations as a ploy to attack police.

They are distinguished by their embrace of assault weapons and military tactical vests, sometimes worn over flowery Hawaiian shirts, an inside joke for the group.

The Justice Department said Solomon and Teeter, who admit belonging to Boogaloo Bois, were seen openly carrying guns in a Minneapolis neighborhood during the Floyd demonstrations and interacted with a witness who reported them to the FBI.

They later came into contact with a police informant they believed to be a representative of Hamas in the United States.

They proposed to act as "mercenaries" for Hamas and provide it with silencers and other gun parts in exchange for money to finance their own organization.

They were arrested after delivering silencers to an FBI agent posing as a more senior Hamas official.

"This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, 'The enemy of your enemy is your friend,'" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.

"Thinking that they shared the same desire to harm the United States, they sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories, to Hamas. They failed."



Most Read

  1. And they lived happily ever after! Ishq Murshid's last episode sparks joy among fans And they lived happily ever after! Ishq Murshid's last episode sparks joy among fans
  2. Five more children die as death toll from measles in Dadu reaches 27 Five more children die as death toll from measles in Dadu reaches 27
  3. Hania Amir stuns as epitome of beauty in ravishing red Saree Hania Amir stuns as epitome of beauty in ravishing red Saree
  4. Only 2.96% pass as CSS exam 2023 results announced Only 2.96% pass as CSS exam 2023 results announced
  5. Reason behind Kareena Kapoor’s exit from Yash starrer ‘Toxic’ Reason behind Kareena Kapoor’s exit from Yash starrer ‘Toxic’
  6. Zuhab Khan and Wania Nadeem's love story culminates in heartfelt Nikah ceremony Zuhab Khan and Wania Nadeem's love story culminates in heartfelt Nikah ceremony

Opinion

  1. 9th May - A year later
    9th May - A year later

    By Mutaza Solangi

  2. Everything but the truth in Telegraph
    Everything but the truth in Telegraph

    By Mutaza Solangi

  3. PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan
    PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan

    By Naveed Aman Khan

  4. Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties
    Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties

    By Nasim Zehra

  5. PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls
    PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls

    By News Desk

  6. Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity
    Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity

    By News Desk