Stab suspect alleged to have Nazi sympathy
PORTLAND, Ore. — An alleged Nazi sympathizer will appear in court today on charges of fatally stabbing two men who came to the defense of two young women — one wearing a hijab — targeted by his anti-Muslim rant on a city train.
Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, is being held on suspicion of aggravated murder, attempted murder, intimidation and being a felon in possession of a weapon. He was arrested a short time after the attack when he was confronted by other men Friday afternoon.
On what appears to be Christian’s Facebook page, he showed sympathy for Nazis and Timothy McVeigh, who bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 1995.
Police identified the men killed as Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, Ore., and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, of Portland. Best was an Army veteran and a city employee. Meche earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2016 from Reed College in Portland and worked for the Cadmus Group, a consulting firm.
Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, of Portland was also stabbed and is in serious condition at a Portland hospital. He is a student at Portland State University and was taking the train from classes to his job at a pizza shop when the attack occurred.
Muslims in the area are raising money for the families of Best and Meche.
“We stand together here as one,” Muhammad A. Najieb, an imam at the Muslim Community Center.
A fundraising page launched by his group had raised $50,000 in its first hours, Najieb said.
The mayor of Portland yesterday urged U.S. officials and organizers to cancel a “Trump Free Speech Rally” and other similar events, saying they are inappropriate and could be dangerous in the wake of the attack.
Mayor Ted Wheeler said he hopes the victims will inspire “changes in the political dialogue in this country.”