Epress.am News from Armenia
Four suspected members of a fringe north Georgia militia group were arrested Tuesday by federal authorities and charged with plotting to buy explosives and trying to make a deadly toxin in a bizarre plot to attack unnamed government officials, CBS News reports.
The four men in their 60s and 70s were part of a group that also tried to obtain an unregistered explosive device and sought out the complex formula to produce ricin, a biological toxin that can be lethal in small doses, according to a federal complaint.
The four listed in the indictment are Frederick Thomas, 73; Dan Roberts, 67; Ray Adams, 65; and Samuel Crump, 68. The men live in the north Georgia towns of Cleveland and Toccoa.
They have been talking about “covert” operations since at least March 2011, according to court records, discussing murder, theft and using toxic agents and assassinations to undermine the state and federal government.
The four men were scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Wednesday. Attorneys for the men were not identified, and the federal defender’s office had no immediate comment.
US Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said the case is a reminder that “we must also remain vigilant in protecting our country from citizens within our own borders who threaten our safety and security.”