Three members of a Kansas militia known as the Crusaders have been arrested for plotting to blow up an apartment complex in the western Kansas town of Garden City. The apartment complex is home to many Somali refugees and houses a mosque. All three militia members were white men in their late forties. According to the FBI, the militia supported anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-government beliefs. Tom Beall is the acting U.S. attorney in Kansas.
Tom Beall: “It’s alleged the defendants conducted surveillance to size up potential targets. They stockpiled firearms, ammunition and explosive components. They even prepared a manifesto describing their beliefs, to be published after the bombing. These charges are based on eight months of investigation by the FBI that is alleged to have taken the investigators deep into a hidden culture of hatred and violence. Many Kansans may find it as startling as I have that such things could happen here.”