GAINESVILLE, Ga (Reuters) ? Four elderly Georgia men pleaded not guilty in federal court on Wednesday to charges linked to an alleged plot to blow up government buildings and disperse a deadly toxin along interstate highways.
The Justice Department has said the men were members of a fringe domestic militia group and had planned to manufacture ricin for use in their attacks.
Clad in orange prison jumpsuits and flanked by their court-appointed attorneys, each man stood as Magistrate Judge Susan Cole called their names and asked for a plea.
"Not guilty," each one replied in a quiet voice.
After the arraignment, Cole convened a hearing to determine whether the defendants should be released on bond.
She heard testimony and arguments relating to Frederick Thomas, 73, of Cleveland, Georgia, who faces federal charges of conspiring to possess an unregistered explosive and an unregistered silencer.
Cole pushed back bond hearings for the other three until next Tuesday, saying she wouldn't rule until all the men had a chance to make their case for bail.
Thomas' co-defendants are Emory Dan Roberts, 67, Ray Adams, 65, and Samuel Crump, 68, all of Toccoa, Georgia. Roberts was charged with conspiring to possess an unregistered explosive and a silencer. The others were charged with conspiring to produce ricin, a biological toxin derived from beans.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney, arguing against releasing Thomas, referred to secretly taped conversations in which Thomas "talked about political assassinations for months and months."
"He discussed killing ATF, FBI and IRS agents" as well as former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney of Atlanta," McBurney said, adding that it was not simply "repugnant talk, frightening talk" but a vow "to take action against a government he once served."
Thomas, who spent three decades in the Navy, "changed his perspective and vowed to strike back," McBurney said.
A search of Thomas' home turned up 52 guns, including assault rifles and pistols with extended magazines, as well as 30,000 rounds of ammunition, McBurney said.
The prosecutor dismissed notions that Thomas' age and ailing health made it unlikely he could carry out a violent act.
"His strike would be surgical," McBurney said. "He could pull the trigger just like you and I could."
Charlotte Thomas, the prisoner's wife of 51 years, testified that her husband was "the most patriotic man I've ever known. He loves his country."
Thomas, she added, was a gun collector and had been for many years. Referring to the cache of weapons confiscated by the FBI, she said: "It's not an arsenal put together to assassinate people."
(Editing by Peter Bohan and Cynthia Johnston)
patriots jets patriots jets the music man the music man new england patriots jerry brown ny giants
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.