According to the FBI, a suspected extremist and radical supporter of former President Trump could face charges of federal explosives, the Government of California Gavin Newsom, and the San Francisco Bay Area headquarters of Twitter and Facebook.
Federal prosecutors have charged Ian Benjamin Rogers, 43, of Napa County, with possession of five homemade pipe bombs that investigators found when they searched his home and car repair business on Jan. 15. They also seized additional bombing equipment along with 49 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
According to an FBI statement, Rogers threatened several text messages to attack Democratic targets and ensure Trump stays in office.
In the lyrics, Rogers said, “Let’s see what happens when we act” and later added, “I think the business office is first target” and “Then maybe bird and face offices.”
FBI Special Agent Stephanie Minor, who is part of the agency’s domestic terrorism team in San Francisco, said the texts were an indication of its targets.
‘I believe Rogers meant that Rogers,’ first office of the business office, ‘said they should be the first offices of California Governor Gavin Newsom in Sacramento. I further believe that when Rogers said that the ‘bird and face’ offices would be next, he meant the offices of Twitter (‘bird’) and Facebook (‘face’), because both social media platforms have Trump’s accounts closed to prevent him from sending messages on those platforms, ”according to the affidavit released by the office of David L. Anderson, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
Rogers also stated in a text that he “does not go down without fighting,” according to the federal criminal charge.
His arrest came less than two weeks after a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, led by right-wing extremists and Trump supporters who were convinced the November election was stolen by the former president’s fraud. for months.
Authorities in Sacramento have been stepping up security at the Capitol and key locations, including the governor’s house, for weeks due to the threat of attack following the controversial presidential election and violence in Washington. Thousands of National Guard troops were stationed in Sacramento, and access to the Capitol was restricted by barriers.
For weeks since the election, pro-Trump supporters have been gathering in Sacramento. Associated with these events were more than half a dozen fights between anti-fascist protesters and far-right groups, including the Proud Boys.
A spokesman for Newsom confirmed that the governor had been made aware of the allegations and was cooperating in the investigation.
“The information contained in the federal criminal charges against Ian Rogers is an overall reminder of the dire consequences that dangerous political rhetoric can have, especially in encouraging violent extremism,” Sahar Robertson said in a statement. “Our democracy depends on the ability of all legislators, regardless of party affiliation, to be able to carry out legislation and their duties without fear of violence.”
The pipe bombs and weapons were found by the Sheriff’s Office, Napa Special Investigations Bureau and FBI during investigations by Rogers’ home and car shop, British Auto Repair of the Napa Valley.
Sheriff’s public information officer Henry Wofford said his agency began investigating Rogers after a person close to him reported that he had weapons and was ‘potentially dangerous to the community’. Wofford said sheriff’s deputy deputies served search rights at Rogers’ home and business and found weapons at both locations.
Five pipe bombs were found in a safe in Rogers’ car shop, Wofford said. In all, authorities seized 49 rifles and 15,000 rounds of ammunition. Wofford said many of the guns are probably illegal in California, including a “very powerful power machine gun.”
The federal charges against Rogers were filed Tuesday.
“We draw a clear line between lawlessness and our constitutional freedoms. We will prosecute illegal weapons supplies regardless of the offender’s motivation, ‘Anderson said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Napa County Dist. Atty. Allison Haley said Rogers is also facing 28 charges in state court for possession of explosives and weapons, including possession of an illegal silencer and multiple unregistered assault weapons.
Haley said the pipe bombs are made of galvanized steel, have both end caps and fuses, can kill people in a 5-foot range and injure those within a 25-foot distance. After his arrest, Rogers told investigators he had built the pipe bombs, but according to the affidavit said it was for entertainment purposes only.
In addition to the weapons, investigators also found what Haley described as a ‘go-bag’, which contained weapons, ammunition, armor, face masks and a wrestling hook. Rogers is scheduled for a ruling on the state complaint. January 29th. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
Both Haley and the FBI said Rogers had a sticker on the bumper of his car with a license plate associated with the Three Percenters. Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in Cal State San Bernardino, described the group as a national organization of “2nd Amendment rebels” whose members “maintain when the government acts tyrannically, they have a subjective right to armed rebellion. “
Three percent were also linked to a violent conspiracy to kidnap the government, Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. Six men have been charged in the conspiracy, and one pleaded guilty on Wednesday.
Much of the anger of right-wing anti-government militias has been directed at governors as a result of orders to shut down the pandemic, which they say is a violation of their rights and an illegal transgression, believe online forums. Some protesters described Newsom in protest of the pandemic-related closures in California as a fascist for implementing the restrictions, and often displayed an image of the governor as Adolf Hitler, with a caption ending “lazy his tyranny” .