Acts of Terrorism megathread

[Grey Fox]

It made for a tense afternoon, especially for the 15 minutes I waited on news of my step brother.

[celedhring]

Here I was hoping the ransom would be the immediate release of all the rights to the Might & Magic franchise.

[Maladict]

Someone just drove a car into a crowd in Trier. edit: Two dead

[Zanza]

Someone just drove a car into a crowd in Trier. edit: Two dead

4 dead now, lots of hurt persons. The perpetrator is a 51 year old German who was born and lived in Trier. Drove under the influence with 0.14 BAC. No apparent political or religious motive. The prosecutor has sent him for psychiatric evaluation for now.

[Valmy]

So it was just a drunk driving situation?

[Maladict]

So it was just a drunk driving situation?

It seems to have been intentional, but not politically motivated.

[Syt]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/fbi-white-supremacists-plotted-attack-on-us-power-grid/2429789/

FBI Says White Supremacists Plotted Attack on US Power Grid

The Ohio teen leading the "Light's Out" plot planned to carry it out in the summer of 2021, the affidavit states

White supremacists plotted to attack power stations in the southeastern U.S., and an Ohio teenager who allegedly shared the plan said he wanted the group to be "operational" on a fast-tracked timeline if President Donald Trump were to lose his re-election bid, the FBI alleges in an affidavit that was mistakenly unsealed.

The teen was in a text group with more than a dozen people in the fall of 2019 when he introduced the idea of saving money to buy a ranch where they could participate in militant training, according to the affidavit, which was filed under seal along with a search warrant application in Wisconsin's Eastern U.S. District Court in March. The documents were inadvertently unsealed last week before the mistake was discovered and they were quickly sealed again.

The teenager wanted the group to be "operational" by the 2024 election because he believed it was likely a Democrat would win, but "the timeline for being operational would accelerate if President Trump lost the 2020 election," according to the affidavit. An informant told investigators that the teen "definitely wanted to be operational for violence, but also activism."

The Ohio teen, who was 17 at the time, also shared plans with a smaller group about a plot to create a power outage by shooting rifle rounds into power stations in the southeastern U.S. The teen called the plot "Light's Out" and there were plans to carry it out in the summer of 2021, the affidavit states.

One group member, a Texas native who was a Purdue University student at the time, allegedly sent the informant a text saying "leaving the power off would wake people up to the harsh reality of life by wreaking havoc across the nation."

The affidavit identifies three people by name and references others who were allegedly communicating with or part of the group. The Associated Press is not naming any of the individuals because charges have not been publicly filed.

None of the three men immediately replied to emails, texts or voicemails left Tuesday seeking comment. The father of one of the men had no comment.

Federal prosecutors in Ohio are taking the lead on the case. Jennifer Thornton, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Ohio, said she couldn't provide additional information because the investigation is ongoing, but "we want to emphasize that there is no imminent public safety threat related to this matter."

The affidavit details an investigation into group members, who allegedly share white supremacist ideology. The document outlines how they communicated over encrypted messaging applications before three of them eventually met up in person. They also allegedly shared recommended reading on white supremacist literature, required a "uniform" to symbolize their commitment and talked about making weapons. The affidavit says the Ohio teen put Nazi flags in his room, but his mother told him to take them down.

Some group members also indicated that they were prepared to die for their beliefs. One man from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, allegedly told the Ohio teen: "I can say with absolute certainty that I will die for this effort. I swear it on my life." The teen replied: "I can say the same," the court documents state.

According to the affidavit, the Wisconsin man also told an undercover FBI employee in February that the group was interested in taking "direct action" against the system and said, "If you truly want a fascist society I will put in the effort to work with you but recruitment is long and not going to be easy."

He then outlined a "radicalization" process to instill a "revolutionary mindset" which ended with recruits proving they are more than just talk. He allegedly wrote that if it seemed too tough, "I recommend leaving now, we are extremely serious about our goals and ambitions."

The affidavit says the Ohio teen also spoke numerous times about creating Nazi militant cells around the country like those of the neo-Nazi network the Atomwaffen Division.

Atomwaffen Division members have promoted "accelerationism," a fringe philosophy espousing mass violence to fuel society's collapse. More than a dozen people linked to the group or an offshoot called the Feuerkrieg Division have been charged with serious crimes in recent years.

This investigation apparently began after a fourth man, from Canada, was stopped while trying to enter the U.S. The man told border agents that he was going to visit the Ohio teen, whom he had recently met over an encrypted app, according to the affidavit. Agents found Nazi and white supremacist images on his phone.

[DGuller]

Car explosion in Nashville.  No victims, but it seems like an intentional act.

[Syt]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/25/nashville-explosion-christmas/

RV that exploded in Nashville broadcast a message warning of imminent blast, police say

FBI, ATF leading investigation; three people were hospitalized with noncritical injuries

The recreational vehicle that exploded in downtown Nashville Christmas morning broadcast a message from a loudspeaker warning of an imminent blast before it detonated, according to police, who called the incident an "intentional act."

The explosion in the city's Arts District destroyed storefronts, scattered ash and debris through the streets, and sent at least three people to the hospital with noncritical injuries, police said.

In a video posted on social media, which the Washington Post has not independently verified, a voice can be heard saying, "This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now." That was followed by the sounds of an explosion, and the video of the street scene turned to a blur.

Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters that "there were announcements coming from the RV, that's the extent of what we can say at this point." He said that police took the warning seriously, evacuated people from a residential area, and that "we think lives were saved by those officers."

Three people were injured, including one officer who was knocked off his feet, Aaron said. He said "we know of no other imminent danger to the city," adding that bomb-sniffing dogs were combing the area as a precaution.

Several of the buildings have structural damage, officials said. Police do not know whether anyone was in the RV when it exploded, "so I can't tell you at this point whether there is a fatality in this scenario," Aaron said.

Supervisory Special Agent Joel E. Siskovic said the FBI is leading the investigation, working with state and local authorities. He declined to say whether there were any suspects.

"The main thing right now is public safety to make sure that everyone in the surrounding area is accounted for and, at the same time, ensuring that the city itself is safe from any other potential incident," said Michael Knight, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Nashville, which is also probing the incident.

Investigators are working to create a timeline of events both before and after the explosion, Knight said.

Authorities responded to the area around 6 a.m. local time after receiving a report of shots fired on Second Avenue North.

When they arrived, Aaron said, they didn't see any immediate evidence of gunshots but encountered a "suspicious" RV parked near an AT&T building and called a bomb squad to assist.

Officers went door to door, telling residents to evacuate, even turning around one man who was out walking his dog, Aaron said. Moments later, around 6:30 a.m., the RV detonated near the intersection of Second Avenue North and Commerce Street, smashing windows, signs and garage doors in the city's Arts District and sending a ball of bright orange flames into the sky.

The police department's hazardous devices unit was en route when the explosion occurred, Aaron said.

"We do believe the explosion was an intentional act," Aaron said. "This investigation will be taking place throughout the day."

Three people were taken to hospitals, Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant said.

"None of those transports at this point are critical," he said. "We don't have any significant injuries to report."

Photos and videos from the scene showed shattered glass, strips of metal, tree branches and other debris littering the street, which is home to office buildings and a row of bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

"We have no indication there are secondary devices. However, out of an abundance of caution, we have a number of dogs that are conducting sweeps of that immediate downtown area at present," Aaron said. He added that police would search downtown buildings, focusing on structures along Second Avenue, to ensure nobody was hurt inside.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper said he had toured the site, describing broken glass and insulation having been blown into the trees.

"It looks like a bomb went off on Second Avenue," he said, while cautioning people against drawing conclusions prematurely.

"This is not how anybody wanted to spend Christmas morning," he told reporters. "We are very lucky that there were not more injuries."

"One more event in Nashville's 2020," he added.

The explosion was felt at nearby residential facilities, including a hostel and a condo building called the Exchange Lofts. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and Christmas, there were far fewer people at those buildings than usual.

Windows and doors were blown out at the hostel, a low-cost residence for travelers, and the handful of guests were evacuated. At the upscale Exchange Lofts, where condos are typically owned as second homes by business executives, the impact of the explosion was recorded by a Nest security camera in a unit owned by music executive Aaron Trevethan.

In the video, the tranquil scene of couches and chairs arrayed around a flat-screen television is suddenly interrupted by sounds of a blast, which sent bright flashes of light through the windows, caused debris to fall from the ceiling, and resulted in a swaying effect captured by the camera.

Trevethan, who was at his California home when he was alerted early Christmas morning about the blast, said it is hard to tell the extent of damage from the video because "everything shook so bad."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said in a tweet that he would "supply all of the resources needed to determine what happened and who was responsible." He thanked first responders and called on Tennesseans to join him and his wife "in praying for those who were injured."

The Justice Department said in a statement that acting attorney general Jeff Rosen had been briefed on the incident and had "directed that all DOJ resources be made available to assist in the investigation."

White House spokesman Judd Deere told The Washington Post in an email that President Trump has been briefed and is receiving updates. "The President is grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured," Deere wrote.

[mongers]

Car explosion in Nashville.  No victims, but it seems like an intentional act.

DG have you considered giving up on doing your own car maintenance?

[Razgovory]

Police are saying they found human remains at the site of the blast.  I really hope this wasn't political, things are tense enough as it is.

[jimmy olsen]

Could be the body of the perpetrator

[Caliga]

It seems likely to me it was a suicide bombing... they have released video of the RV as the location it was parked at is in full view of cameras, but no video of anyone exiting the RV.  Not sure why they would be holding that back if they had it?

[mongers]

It seems likely to me it was a suicide bombing... they have released video of the RV as the location it was parked at is in full view of cameras, but no video of anyone exiting the RV.  Not sure why they would be holding that back if they had it?

They're having difficulty getting their internet meme's sorted, hard to tie-in liberal urban greens with an exploding SUV.

[Razgovory]

It seems likely to me it was a suicide bombing... they have released video of the RV as the location it was parked at is in full view of cameras, but no video of anyone exiting the RV.  Not sure why they would be holding that back if they had it?

Well, if they are holding in back they might not want to have public out searching for this guy.  Hopefully it is a suicide, some one fired by AT@T and decided to the noble thing in blowing up the building but trying to hurt anyone in the process.  Much better than a mad shooter.