with white supremacists nationwide to
destroy properties belonging to Black
and Jewish Americans
Madison Hall
Tue, March 2, 2021,
Jewish men stand at the swastas paintiked entrance of the grand synagogue in Petach Tikva, near Tel Aviv in 2006. AFP via Getty Images
A man in New Jersey admitted to conspiring with white supremacists to vandalize synagogues.
Richard Tobin, 19, told investigators he was a member of "The Base," a neo-Nazi survivalist group.
Tobin admitted to launching "Operation Kristallnacht," an effort to vandalize two synagogues.
A man in New Jersey pleaded guilty to conspiring with white supremacists in the US to vandalize synagogues across the country and intimidate Black and Jewish Americans, according to the Department of Justice.
Video: What the clothing and symbols worn by Capitol rioters reveal
Richard Tobin, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against rights, a federal offense where two or more people conspire to injure or intimidate anyone from being able to enjoy their constitutional rights or US laws.
According to a complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Jason Novick, Tobin is a member of an American-based neo-Nazi and prepper group called "The Base." Members of the group describe The Base as a "White Protection League" and offers survivalist training to resist "our People's extinction" from minorities and uses a Nazi-era symbol as its logo.
As a member of the group, Tobin admitted to launching "Operation Kristallnacht," an effort to vandalize synagogues in Michigan and Wisconsin with swastikas and other Nazi symbols, which were spray-painted in the places of worship. In messages to members of The Base, Tobin implored the assailants to also slash vehicle tires belonging to Jewish and Black Americans.
The name of the operation is a direct reference to "Kristallnacht," or "the night of broken glass," an attack on Jewish people in 1938 in Nazi Germany where Jewish businesses, buildings, and synagogues were destroyed by Nazi soldiers.
When federal investigators interviewed Tobin, he admitted that he regularly had thoughts of becoming a suicide bomber or dying of suicide-by-cop, according to court documents seen by Insider. This was corroborated after the FBI reviewed Tobin's computer and found a search for "svbied," a common acronym referring to "suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device." A further examination of his computer found a document detailing how to create plastic explosives as well as how to arrange barrels inside of a truck to be used as a truck bomb.
Prosecutors suggested in court filings that Tobin's computer showcased his "obsession" with neo-Nazi propaganda and acts of mass violence. The contents of Tobin's computer contained several videos and photos of acts of violence against Jewish people, Muslims, Black people, and others.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, Michael J. Driscoll, said in a statement that while Americans have their First Amendment protections, beliefs that lead to violence are unacceptable.
"The FBI and our partners simply won't tolerate crimes spurred by hate, which are meant to intimidate and isolate the groups targeted," Michael J. Driscoll said. "People of all races and faiths deserve to feel safe in their communities. Richard Tobin encouraged others to victimize innocent people, in furtherance of his abhorrent white supremacist beliefs. While we all have the right to believe whatever we want, when those views lead to violence, that's a different and dangerous story."
President Joe Biden's nominee for Attorney General, Merrick Garland, recently said at his confirmation hearing that the danger of domestic terrorism is at a high following the Capitol insurrection on January 6 and that he planned to lead the Department of Justice in prosecuting white supremacists in the US.
"I certainly agree that we are facing a more dangerous period than we did in Oklahoma City at that time," Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing.
Tobin's sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2021. He could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Read the original article on Insider
Madison Hall
Tue, March 2, 2021,
Jewish men stand at the swastas paintiked entrance of the grand synagogue in Petach Tikva, near Tel Aviv in 2006. AFP via Getty Images
A man in New Jersey admitted to conspiring with white supremacists to vandalize synagogues.
Richard Tobin, 19, told investigators he was a member of "The Base," a neo-Nazi survivalist group.
Tobin admitted to launching "Operation Kristallnacht," an effort to vandalize two synagogues.
A man in New Jersey pleaded guilty to conspiring with white supremacists in the US to vandalize synagogues across the country and intimidate Black and Jewish Americans, according to the Department of Justice.
Video: What the clothing and symbols worn by Capitol rioters reveal
Richard Tobin, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against rights, a federal offense where two or more people conspire to injure or intimidate anyone from being able to enjoy their constitutional rights or US laws.
According to a complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Jason Novick, Tobin is a member of an American-based neo-Nazi and prepper group called "The Base." Members of the group describe The Base as a "White Protection League" and offers survivalist training to resist "our People's extinction" from minorities and uses a Nazi-era symbol as its logo.
As a member of the group, Tobin admitted to launching "Operation Kristallnacht," an effort to vandalize synagogues in Michigan and Wisconsin with swastikas and other Nazi symbols, which were spray-painted in the places of worship. In messages to members of The Base, Tobin implored the assailants to also slash vehicle tires belonging to Jewish and Black Americans.
The name of the operation is a direct reference to "Kristallnacht," or "the night of broken glass," an attack on Jewish people in 1938 in Nazi Germany where Jewish businesses, buildings, and synagogues were destroyed by Nazi soldiers.
When federal investigators interviewed Tobin, he admitted that he regularly had thoughts of becoming a suicide bomber or dying of suicide-by-cop, according to court documents seen by Insider. This was corroborated after the FBI reviewed Tobin's computer and found a search for "svbied," a common acronym referring to "suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device." A further examination of his computer found a document detailing how to create plastic explosives as well as how to arrange barrels inside of a truck to be used as a truck bomb.
Prosecutors suggested in court filings that Tobin's computer showcased his "obsession" with neo-Nazi propaganda and acts of mass violence. The contents of Tobin's computer contained several videos and photos of acts of violence against Jewish people, Muslims, Black people, and others.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, Michael J. Driscoll, said in a statement that while Americans have their First Amendment protections, beliefs that lead to violence are unacceptable.
"The FBI and our partners simply won't tolerate crimes spurred by hate, which are meant to intimidate and isolate the groups targeted," Michael J. Driscoll said. "People of all races and faiths deserve to feel safe in their communities. Richard Tobin encouraged others to victimize innocent people, in furtherance of his abhorrent white supremacist beliefs. While we all have the right to believe whatever we want, when those views lead to violence, that's a different and dangerous story."
President Joe Biden's nominee for Attorney General, Merrick Garland, recently said at his confirmation hearing that the danger of domestic terrorism is at a high following the Capitol insurrection on January 6 and that he planned to lead the Department of Justice in prosecuting white supremacists in the US.
"I certainly agree that we are facing a more dangerous period than we did in Oklahoma City at that time," Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing.
Tobin's sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2021. He could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Read the original article on Insider
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