Morning Briefing: Pair of Far Right Extremist Deadly Plots Thwarted by Law Enforcement
Morning Briefing: Pair of Far Right Extremist Deadly Plots Thwarted by Law Enforcement
A pair of separate plots to commit acts of extremist violence against a synagogue in Michigan and a Pride event in Tennessee, were thwarted by law enforcement.
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Morning Briefing: Seann Patrick Pietila was arrested charged with planning a mass shooting at a synagogue on the fifth anniversary of Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand, and reportedly “made threats on social media, including Instagram, that included comments about neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism and glorifying mass shootings.”
During a search of Pietila’s home, law enforcment reportedly “recovered numerous firearms, including a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, a .22 caliber rifle, a Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol, and knives, skull masks, and a red and white Nazi flag.”
Joshua Hensley was “indicted for making online threats to commit acts of violence at an upcoming Nashville Pride event,” and was charged “with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat related to the upcoming Nashville Pride event, scheduled for June 24-25, 2023.”
Hensley reportedly “posted comments to a Facebook post for Nashville Pride and threatened to ‘make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event,’” and in another post on social media “Hensley threatened to ‘commit a mass shooting.’”
It remains unclear if the arrest is connected to a report posted on Reddit of a similar potential plot of far right extremist violence against Pride events in Tennessee.
Must Reads
David Gilbert reports that “it’s not just Proud Boys that Moms for Liberty has allegedly gotten involved with, however. A VICE News investigation has uncovered links between numerous Moms for Liberty chapters and extremist groups like the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, sovereign citizen groups, QAnon conspiracist, Christian nationalists, and in one case, with the founder of the AK-47-worshiping Rod of Iron Ministries church in Pennsylvania. Around the country, Moms for Liberty has formed links with extremist groups and militias, which are joining forces with the ‘parental rights’ group at protests and school board meetings, and in turn pushing the already far-right organization toward even more extreme ideology… Earlier this month, a day after former President Donald Trump announced he would speak at the group’s annual summit alongside fellow Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated Moms for Liberty as an ‘anti-government extremist’ organization for the first time.” [Vice News]
Kathryn Joyce writes that “last Tuesday afternoon, in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, several hundred people gathered outside the headquarters of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for the second time in several days. They were there to protest against what they called ‘gender ideology’ in public schools. After the last several years of culture-war battles in every conceivable educational space, that might seem unremarkable. But both this demonstration and another the previous Friday were notable for who was foregrounded in the protests and social media coverage that followed: Muslim-Canadians standing alongside right-wing white activists, mixing chants of ‘Leave our kids alone’ with charges that Canadian schools were ‘targeting’ Islam, and pledging to form a united front against the left. Over the last two weeks, a series of contentious and even violent LGBTQ Pride month protests, from Southern California to suburban Maryland to Ottawa to Calgary, have given rise to a new hope on the right: Has the push for LGBTQ rights and representation so badly alienated immigrant and Muslim communities that these generally liberal or left-leaning constituencies are switching sides?” [Salon]
Brandy Zadrozny reports that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “has his vocal supporters — anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, internet contrarians, billionaire tech bros, Camelot nostalgists and right-wing provocateurs who seem to be pumping Kennedy as a spoiler candidate. Recent polls show him making a dent against an incumbent whom many voters see as too old. But for now at least, most political commentators doubt Kennedy’s chances. Mention the skepticism to Kennedy, and he bristles… The third of 11 children born to Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy Sr., Kennedy was 9 years old when his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated and 14 when his father, a former U.S. attorney general and New York senator, was shot and killed after winning California’s 1968 Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy believes the government, specifically the CIA, is responsible for both killings. (The CIA denies involvement.) He’s in good company here. Most Americans believe — as they have for the last half-century — that Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone in the JFK assassination. Polling at the time of Robert F. Kennedy Sr.’s murder shows more than half the country believed it was part of a larger plot.” [NBC News]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
It's about time that somebody recognizes Moms For Liberty as a possible terrorist organization. Certainly white supremacist, and definitely a hate group. Earlier in the pandemic I was part of their local chapters' Facebook page. Until I was kicked out for suggesting in one comment that masks are effective against spreading disease, although I agreed that nobody should be forced to be vaccinated.
I wish I could still be a “fly on the wall” still. I was horrified by the comments in there. It was naked racism, hate, and pure ignorance.