Two California men plotted to destroy the state Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, hoping the attack would inspire a political movement, the Justice Department says. Ian Benjamin Rogers, 45, of Napa, and Jarrod Copeland, 37, of Vallejo, have been indicted by a federal grand jury, NBC reports. The charges include conspiracy to destroy a building with fire or explosives and possession of machine guns. The men had been planning the attack since the presidential election last fall, officials said, and had turned to a militia group for help. Copeland was arrested Wednesday, while Rogers was arrested in January and already faces charges of stockpiling illegal weapons.
Searches of Rogers' home and business found close to 50 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, materials that could be used to produce explosives, and how-to books such as The Anarchist Cookbook, officials said. "I thank the FBI for their work," the state Democratic chair of Sacramento County said, "but in this day and age we should not be concerned about violence and terrorism just for participating in the democratic process." This is no way to support a constitutional democracy, the acting US attorney in Sacramento agreed, per KCRA. "Investigation and prosecution of those who choose violence over discussion is as important as anything else we do to protect our free society," she said. (More conspiracy stories.)
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