Prosecutors: Coast Guard Lieutenant Planned to Kill CNN and MSNBC Hosts, Prominent Democrats
Ross A. Lincoln
Prosecutors say Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson studied a manifesto by far-right Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik as he plotted the murders of prominent journalists and politicians — an especially alarming accusation because Breivik murdered 77 people in two attacks in Norway in 2011.The Breivik attack shook the European continent, where mass shootings are rare. Breivik was sentenced to only 21 years in prison, the maximum allowable under Norwegian law. He will be eligible for release in 2033, when he will be 53, the New York Times reports.“From early 2017 through the date of his arrest, the defendant routinely perused portions of the Breivik manifesto that instruct a prospective assailant to amass appropriate firearms, food, disguises, and survival supplies,” prosecutors said in a court filing. “Consistent with the Breivik manifesto, the defendant performed thousands of visits to websites selling firearms and tactical gear. The defendant also researched United States military technical manuals or improvised munitions and tactical handbooks.”Also Read: Prosecutors: Coast Guard Lieutenant Planned to Kill CNN and MSNBC Hosts, Prominent Democrats“The manifesto also provides detailed instructions for everything from making a bomb to raising funds to preparing physically and mentally for what the author describes as a coming three-stage ‘civil war’ between patriotic nationalists and ‘multiculturalists’ who are, wittingly or not, destroying European civilization,” Blake Hounshell reported for Foreign Policy at the time.A legal filing by prosecutors contained background on Breivik.“Breivik believed immigration of Muslim individuals was a threat to European countries, and he believed this wave of immigration was being facilitated by Cultural Marxism and political correctness,” they wrote. “Breivik posited that unbridled Muslim immigration would bring the collapse of Western culture and European Civil War. Therefore, in order to curtail Muslim immigration, Breivik advocated for violent action that would serve as a catalyst for the downfall of Cultural Marxist governments.”Also Read: 50 Cent Says Trump Offered Him $500,000 'Just to Come' to the Inauguration (Video)Hasson’s plans were first uncovered after he was busted by the Coast Guard for looking at extremist websites on work computers, NBC reported. In addition to targeting Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, Reps. Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and journalists Chris Hayes and Don Lemon, Hasson also mulled the possibility of committing mass murder — potentially by using a biological agent, prosecutors said.“I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth,” Hasson said in a draft email uncovered from his computer after his home was raided, according to prosecutors.”I think a plague would be most successful but how do I acquire the needed/ Spanish flu, botulism, anthrax not sure yet but will find something.”‘Law enforcement officials said they also found a cache of weapons and over a thousand rounds of ammunition at his home.“The defendant intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country,” warned prosecutors, who urged that he be detained until his trial.Read original story To Plot Mass Killing, Coast Guard Lt. Paul Hasson Studied a Mass Killer’s Manifesto, Prosecutors Say At TheWrap
Federal prosecutors said that a Coast Guard lieutenant arrested last week is a “domestic terrorist” who intended to kill “prominent Democratic congressional leaders” and “MSNBC and CNN media personalities,” among others.
According to a court filing, Christopher Paul Hasson was arrested Feb. 15 on gun-and-drug-related charges. Prosecutors ask that he be detained pending trial because “the defendant intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country.”
Prosecutors say Hasson’s targets included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maxine Waters, MSNBC hosts Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough, and CNN hosts Chris Cuomo and Van Jones.
Hasson, the filing says, is an “obvious danger to the community” with a years-long record of expressing extremist views, which were discovered in several emails and email drafts obtained by law enforcement. The filing cites a June 2017 email draft in which Hasson said he was “dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth,” as well as a September 2017 email Hasson sent to himself “which he apparently wrote to a known American neo-Nazi leader” espousing a desire for a “white homeland.”
The filing also cites Google searches conducted by Hasson for terms including “what if trump [sic] is illegally impeached,” and “where in dc to [sic] congress live.”
Hasson also frequently read a manifesto written by Norwegian white supremacist terrorist Anders Breivik, and appeared to follow Breivik’s instructions for amassing supplies and weapons, according to the filing. Law enforcement agents, prosecutors say, found fifteen firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition and other supplies, including steroids, when executing a search warrant.
According to the filing, Hasson’s hit list was consistent with the kinds of people identified by Breivik as “traitors.”
Hasson is set to appear in court Thursday afternoon. The office of the Federal Public Defender, District of Maryland did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
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