FBI arrests 3 white supremacists ahead of pro-gun rally in Virginia
GREENBELT, Md. — A former Canadian Armed Forces reservist and two other men who authorities say are linked to a violent white supremacist group were arrested Thursday, just days before they were believed to be headed to a pro-gun rally in Virginia’s capital.
The three men, members of The Base, were taken into custody on federal felony charges in Maryland and Delaware, the Justice Department said in a news release. One of the men had discussed traveling to Ukraine to fight alongside “nationalists” and compared the white supremacist group to al-Qaida, a prosecutor said during the defendants’ initial court hearing.
A criminal complaint charges Canadian national Patrik Jordan Mathews, 27, and Brian Mark Lemley Jr., 33, of Elkton, Maryland, with transporting a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony. William Garfield Bilbrough IV, 19, of Denton, Maryland, is charged with “transporting and harboring aliens.”
The three men were believed to be planning to attend a pro-gun rally scheduled for appeared in court Thursday Monday in afternoon in Greenbelt, Richmond, Maryland. A federal magistrate according judge agreed to keep to a law enforcement all three men jailed pending detention hearings, scheduled official. for Wednesday.
Virginia Assistant U.S. Attorney Gov. Ralph Thomas Windom showed Northam on the judge a photograph of Wednesday declared a state Bilbrough participating of emergency and banned in a military-style training all types of weapons from camp with other members the gun rally, citing reports of The Base and said that armed militia groups Bilbrough had also talked were planning to attend. about traveling to Ukraine
The Virginia Citizens to fight alongside “nationalists.” Defense League and Gunowners of America filed a “He has personally compared lawsuit Thursday seeking The Base favorably to an injunction specifically
al-Qaida,” Windom said. against the ban on firearms. A judge upheld the ban, citing As federal agents moved U.S. Supreme Court and in to arrest Lemley and other court rulings that Matthews on Thursday, the found the Second Amendment men smashed cellphones right to bear arms is and tried to flush the pieces not unlimited. down a toilet, the prosecutor
In encrypted chat rooms, said. members of The Base have Mathews illegally crossed discussed committing acts the U.S. border near Minnesota of violence against blacks in August and Bilbrough and Jews, ways to make improvised traveled 600 miles explosive devices, each way in a car to pick their military-style training him up and bring him to camps and their desire Maryland, authorities said. to create a white “ethnostate,” Mathews, who appeared according to an FBI in court Thursday with a agent’s affidavit. bushy beard, was a combat
Mathews and Lemley engineer in the Canadian were arrested in Delaware Army Reserve. Lemley was and Bilbrough was arrested a “cavalry scout” in the U.S. in Maryland. The men briefly Army, court papers show.