Arizona Man Indicted, Hoped to Spawn Race War with Mass Shooting

A federal grand jury has indicted Mark Adams Prieto, 58, of Prescott, Arizona, on prices of firearms trafficking, transferring a firearm to be used in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm. The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Arizona introduced the indictment this week, following an intensive investigation into Prieto’s alleged plan to commit a mass capturing concentrating on Black People and different minorities in an try and incite a race battle earlier than the 2024 presidential election.

Based on the indictment, Prieto started discussions in January 2024 with two people he believed shared his racist beliefs. Unbeknownst to Prieto, these people had been undercover FBI brokers. The discussions concerned detailed planning for a violent assault at a live performance in Atlanta scheduled for Could 14-15, 2024. The Hill reported that Prieto offered an AK-style rifle on February 25, 2024, and an AR-style rifle on March 24, 2024, to one of many undercover brokers.

The FBI, in collaboration with the ATF, the Division of Veteran’s Affairs Workplace of Inspector Common, the Arizona Legal professional Common’s Workplace and the Prescott Police Division, intently monitored Prieto’s actions. On Could 14, 2024, legislation enforcement stopped Prieto whereas he was touring east from Arizona by New Mexico on Interstate 40. On the time of his arrest, Prieto was in possession of seven firearms. Following his detention, authorities executed a search warrant at his residence in Prescott, the place they found further firearms, together with an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

Every depend of firearms trafficking and transferring a firearm to be used in a hate crime carries a most penalty of 15 years in jail and a effective of $250,000. The cost for possessing an unregistered NFA firearm carries a most penalty of 10 years in jail and a effective of $250,000.

The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Arizona, with help from the Division of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Nationwide Safety Division’s Counterterrorism Part, is overseeing the prosecution. The Phoenix FBI discipline workplace, together with the Albuquerque FBI discipline workplace and varied state and native legislation enforcement businesses, carried out the investigation.