An American Coast Guard officer and self-described white nationalist charged with amassing weapons and drugs also allegedly planned a domestic terror attack targeting high-profile figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Kamala Harris, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and others, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland on Tuesday.
Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson, 49, was described by prosecutors in the complaint as a "domestic terrorist" who aimed "to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country." He was first arrested Friday and charged with illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
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But U.S. authorities say the arrest was just the "tip of the iceberg" as they seized 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of mixed ammunition. Investigators also discovered a cache of draft emails in which Hasson espoused white nationalist views such as "dreaming of a white homeland" and a list of targets, which also included MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes, CNN commentator Van Jones, and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.
Hasson admits in the discovered correspondence that he had been a "skinhead" when he first joined the military in 1988. That extremist views exist among military ranks is not a new story: According to a 2017 poll by Military Times, nearly one in four troops who participated in the poll said they've witnessed examples of white nationalism and other extremist views among their fellow service members. Hasson also said to be inspired by Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who murdered 77 people, including children, in a 2011 attack. Court documents did not outline details for a specific attack or its date, but said that Hasson has been hoarding weapons and supplies at least for the past two years. He also Googled phrases such as "best place in dc to see congress people" and "are supreme court justices protected."
Per the complaint, he wrote in a 2017 draft email: "I am dreaming of a way to kill every last person on Earth." His detention hearing in federal court is set for Thursday afternoon.