Investigators had the suspects under surveillance for at least seven months -infiltrating meetings at a Waffle House, in homes, and at various other locations - before arresting them Tuesday, days after discovering evidence that they were trying to extract ricin from castor beans.
“While many are focused on the threat posed by international violent extremists, this case demonstrates that we must also remain vigilant in protecting our country from citizens within our own borders who threaten our safety and security,’’ said US Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.
The four gray-haired men - Frederick Thomas, 73; Dan Roberts, 67; Ray Adams, 65; and Samuel Crump, 68 - appeared in court yesterday without entering a plea and were jailed for a bail hearing next week. They apparently had trouble hearing the judge, some cupping their ears.
Thomas and Roberts were charged with conspiring to buy an explosive device and an illegal silencer. Adams and Crump were charged with conspiring to make a biological toxin.
Relatives of two of the men said the charges were baseless. The public defender assigned to the case had no comment.
Prosecutors said that Thomas was the ringleader, and that he talked of carrying out the sort of actions described in “Absolved,’’ an online novel written by former Alabama militia leader Mike Vanderboegh. In the book, militia members build rifle grenades and drop explosives from cropdusters.
In the book’s introduction, Vanderboegh calls it a “cautionary tale for the out-of-control gun cops of the ATF.’’
“For that warning to be credible, I must also present what amounts to a combination field manual, technical manual, and call to arms for my beloved gunnies of the armed citizenry,’’ he writes. “They need to know how powerful they could truly be if they were pushed into a corner.’’
Vanderboegh said he does not know the four men and bears no responsibility for the alleged plot.
