Three men arrested for an attempted attack on Obama’s campaign HQ.
May 20 The Chicago Police have arrested three individuals on charges of allegedly plotting terrorist attacks during the NATO Summit in the city, which begins on Sunday.
The three individuals were also planning to attack the headquarters of the Obama Campaign in Chicago, the home of Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel and police stations, authorities said.
Officials said a raid of the South Side apartment in which the men were staying uncovered petroleum bombs known as Molotov cocktails, bows and arrows, throwing stars and gas masks.
Thousands of people, including protesters, have been in Chicago for days ahead of the two-day NATO Summit that starts Sunday.
“These individuals are domestic terrorists who came to Chicago with an anarchist agenda to harm police officers, intimidate citizens and to attack their politically motivated targets,” said Anita Alvarez, a prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Officials said undercover police infiltrated the group and broke the case after the men allegedly were overheard discussing violence.
The men were arrested Wednesday and have been identified as Brian Church, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla., and Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H.
They are charged with providing material support for terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of explosives.
Defense attorneys told a judge that undercover police are the ones who brought the Molotov cocktails and that their clients had been entrapped.
The men were each being held on $1.5 million bond.
The three were charged with material support for terrorism; conspiracy to commit terrorism; and possession of explosives or explosive or incendiary devices.
According to prosecutors, the investigation began in early May, and revealed that the defendants are self-proclaimed anarchists, and members of the “Black Bloc” group, who travelled together from Florida to the Chicago area in preparation for committing terrorist acts of violence and destruction directed against different targets in protest to the NATO Summit.
Specifically, according to prosecutors, plans were made to destroy police cars and attack four Chicago Police district stations with destructive devices, in an effort to undermine the police response to the conspirators’ other planned actions for the NATO Summit.
During the investigation, defendant Church stated he wanted to recruit four proposed targets which also included the Campaign Headquarters of President Obama, the home of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and certain downtown financial institutions.
As part of their efforts, they possessed and/or constructed improvised explosive-incendiary devices and various types of dangerous weapons including a mortar gun, swords, a hunting bow, throwing stars, and knives with brass-knuckle handles.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the men’s attorney, Michael Deutsch, accused authorities of entrapment and suggested police targeted them because of their anti-establishment views.
News Gathered by India News
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