Suspect Planned to Assassinate Top Democrats, Officials Say

Christopher Paul Hasson wanted to establish a 'white homeland,' court told
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 21, 2019 4:02 AM CST
Coast Guard Officer Wanted to Kill Democrats, Prosecutors Say
A law enforcement photo shows firearms and ammunition that prosecutors say was found in the home of Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson.   (U.S. District Court via AP)

A lieutenant stationed at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, DC, planned to carry out terrorist attacks on Democratic politicians and journalists and use violence to "establish a white homeland," prosecutors say. Investigators found 15 guns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the home of self-proclaimed white nationalist Christopher Paul Hasson, who was arrested Friday, the Washington Post reports. In a court filing arguing that Hasson, 49, should remain in jail while he awaits trial, prosecutors said he intended "to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country." The filing quoted Hasson, a Marine Corps and Army National Guard veteran, as saying, "I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth." He's scheduled to appear in federal court in Maryland on Thursday.

According to the Guardian, Hasson is a fan of the Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, who was convicted of killing 77 people in 2011 and said he did it to combat multiculturalism in Norway. Prosecutors say Hasson kept a spreadsheet of names who appeared to be his targets, per NBC, including Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Maxine Waters, Ilhan Omar, and Sheila Jackson. A federal law enforcement officer told NBC that Hasson's internet searches at work caught the Coast Guard's attention and led to his arrest. Prosecutors said the searches included "best place in dc to see congress people" and "are supreme court justices protected," per the Post; the Guardian reports prosecutors also found emails about biological attacks. The filing said one email draft of Hasson's said, "Guide my hate to make a lasting impression on this world." (The number of hate groups in the US is at a record high.)

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