That Coast Guard Officer Accused of Plotting a "Race War" Won't Get out of Jail After All
That Coast Guard Officer Accused of Plotting a “Race War” Won’t Get out of Jail After All
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/j5wgqg/that-coast-guard-officer-accused-of-plotting-a-race-war-wont-get-out-of-jail-after-all
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By Tess Owen May 13, 2019
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“I find that no conditions or combination of conditions will reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” Maryland District Judge George Hazel wrote in his opinion.
Hasson, a self-avowed white nationalist who remains on active duty at the Coast Guard, had amassed weapons, ammo, and tactical gear and allegedly compiled a hit list of “leftists” and “traitors” like high-profile Democrats and journalists. Because of limited domestic terrorism laws, however, prosecutors could only charge him with being an addict in possession of a gun, owning unregistered gun silencers, and ordering synthetic opioids from Mexico.
“The government has no doubt that the defendant’s arrest on February 15, 2019, prevented a mass casualty event,” prosecutors wrote in response to the lower court’s decision to release Hasson. “His continued detention is imperative.”
But Hasson’s attorneys argued that without more serious charges, the court should agree to release Hasson on bond, until the start of his trial. At the end of April, Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day agreed, although he said he still had “grave concerns” about the allegations against Hasson.
To challenge Day’s decision, prosecutors filed additional documents, including a timeline of Hasson’s online searches over a five day period in 2018 which they said was indicative of his plans. For example, Hasson searched for information about Hitler, Nazis, and questions like “How many jews in the U.S.” from his Coast Guard computer — and then visited firearm sales websites from his personal device, according to prosecutors.
He also searched terms like “how far can 22lr rifle kill” and “how can white people rise against the jews.” Lastly, prosecutors said Hasson visited white supremacist blogs and bought books on “white advocacy” and “white identity.”
Hasson also lied on federal ATF forms at a gun show in Virginia “in order to acquire the firearms most expeditiously,” according to prosecutors. He stated that he was a resident in-state rather than giving his real address in Maryland.
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