Cleveland man planned to ambush law enforcement to steal weapons for armed uprising, feds say – cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 20-year-old Cleveland man is in federal custody after authorities say he planned to place a fake 911 call in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to ambush the park rangers who responded, steal their weapons and start an armed uprising, according to prosecutors.
Christian Ferguson, who authorities believe was trying to form a militia, is charged with attempted kidnapping. He has been in custody since May 8 and made his initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen B. Burke.
The Cleveland FBI became aware of Ferguson in March, after a tipster informed them about violent and extremist social media postings Ferguson made on Discord, a communication app that allows users to communicate directly or in groups via text message, voice or video, according to a release. The app became an essential communication tool for far-right groups and white supremacists, including in the run-up to the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In the messages, according to a complaint filed Tuesday by an FBI agent, Ferguson discussed his plan to ambush cops and said to shoot to kill because they will, and discussed ripping communication gear from cars.
Its too risky to take the cruisers so throw the bodies in and light em up, he wrote, an apparent reference to putting dead officers in their police cars and setting them on fire to destroy the evidence, the complaint said.
Ferguson posted the messages under a username that the complaint does not disclose due to ongoing investigation.
Investigators tied the screen name to Ferguson in part because police stopped him in 2019 outside Valparaiso, Indiana, in a car that had a vanity license plate number that matched the name, the complaint said. He fled the traffic stop and led police on a chase that ended in a crash and his arrest. He faced a felony charge of resisting arrest. The complaint does not include a disposition in the case.
The FBI sent a confidential human source to join Discord chat rooms and communicate with Ferguson, the complaint said. In the weeks that followed, Ferguson honed the details of his plan, which included using a woman to call the police and report a domestic violence incident in a remote area, the complaint said. He said the attackers should clean off their bullets to remove fingerprints from the casings, and discussed throwing ammonia and bleech [sic] at police.
When you shoot go for the arms and legs but if they pose a lethal threat go for the head, he wrote, the complaint says.
Ferguson referenced the 75th Spartans, which investigators believe is the name of a militia that Ferguson either had formed or was in the process of creating to carry out the attack and the subsequent uprising, the complaint said. Ferguson, in another message, referenced leaving a calling card with the Spartans name at the scene of a first small claim with the cops, the complaint said.
Once the media gets a hold of our card, well spread like wildfire and other militias will get up, the complaint said.
The appropriation of Spartan imagery is commonplace among many alt-right groups, including The Oath Keepers militia, which, in 2018 created so-called Spartan Training Groups to combat antifa and the far left.
Ferguson and the confidential informant also communicated with another Discord user whose identity the FBI agent said is known but was not disclosed in the complaint.
Ferguson suggested using homemade mustard gas and pipe bombs during an attack, but said the group would need money from a sponsor before they could buy high-grade, military-style ammunition because he barely has enough money to buy a pistol, the complaint said.
Ferguson also discussed using the attack to recruit members of his militia. He said that killing police officers and letting one live "with our calling card may be necessary to get media coverage of the attack from outlets including Fox News, the complaint said.
We still are building numbers but this will get patriots and future Spartans interested, he wrote, the complaint said.
The two FBI sources and Ferguson agreed to meet up on May 2 at the Camp Belden Wildlife Area in Lorain County to practice drills and exercises to prepare for the attack, according to the complaint. Ferguson brought an AR-15 rifle and ammunition to the meeting, which was recorded by one of the FBI informants on a video camera, the complaint said.
The group agreed to meet again on May 8 in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to carry out a dry-run, and hiked into the woods to discuss the plan, according to the complaint. The informant wore an audio recording device that captured the conversations, the complaint said.
Ferguson said that once the officers respond and his militia ambushes them, they give police 10 seconds to drop their weapons, the complaint said. Once they dropped the weapons, the militia members should point guns at each officers head while they take their gear, starting with the bullet-proof vests, the complaint said.
[I]f they try anything, anything, one in the head there are 29 more right for you and another goes down, and another, for any movement below the nipple, Ferguson said, according to the complaint. [B]ut leave one to limp home and tell law enforcement that the Spartans are out here hunting us.
The group then placed a hoax 911 call as they hid behind tree stumps to gauge the response time, the complaint said. Four park rangers showed up and left after a few minutes of looking around, the complaint said.
The group walked back to their cars, and Ferguson said that if that many officers were to respond to the ambush, then they would have to kill them all, the complaint said.
FBI agents and Park Rangers then arrested Ferguson.
Ferguson admitted to investigators after his arrest that he was planning an attack to kidnap and rob police, but denied ever wanting to kill them, the complaint said. He eventually said that he would be willing to kill the officers if he had to, the complaint said.
Read more stories
Federal prisons bureau wont say if corrupt former Cuyahoga County auditor Frank Russo asked for transfer to home confinement
ICE detainee with coronavirus in Ohio jail: I cant believe Im in America
Federal appeals court reinstates Akron mans conviction for selling fentanyl that caused womans overdose death
- White Americans who perceive themselves to be last place in the racial status hierarchy are most drawn to alt-right extremism - Nature.com - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Susan Olsen Says Brady Bunch Revival Was Scrapped Due To Her Alt-Right Politics - 106.3 The Groove - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Alt-right group gathers in Coeur dAlene with "SWAT Team vibes" - KHQ Right Now - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- How the alt-right's political violence went from online to real life - WBUR News - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Meet the alt-Right Crunchy Mums Anti-vax mothers are consumed by paranoid love - UnHerd - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll - Shepherd Express - October 3rd, 2024 [October 3rd, 2024]
- The alt-right Spanish leader promising to destroy a rotten system - The Times - September 19th, 2024 [September 19th, 2024]
- Amandla Stenberg Says The Acolyte Cancellation Was Not a Shock Due to Alt-Right Hate Toward the Series - IndieWire - August 29th, 2024 [August 29th, 2024]
- Amandla Stenberg Says The Acolyte Cancellation Was Not a Shock Due to Alt-Right Hate Toward the Series - imdb - August 29th, 2024 [August 29th, 2024]
- The Acolyte Lead Amandla Stenberg Claims Star Wars Series Was The Target Of Hyper-Conservative Bigotry From The Alt-Right - Bounding Into Comics - August 29th, 2024 [August 29th, 2024]
- The ugly conversion of Candace Owens The alt-Right promised her power and devotion - UnHerd - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Hawk tuah girl: How she became a bizarre and unwitting icon for the alt-right. - Slate - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- The Boys season 4 episode 6 recap and Easter eggs: an alt-right cocktail party takes a nasty turn - Gamesradar - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Lesbian The Boys Actress Valorie Curry Glad Shes Mocking The Alt-Right - Star Observer - June 27th, 2024 [June 27th, 2024]
- Here's why lesbian actress Valorie Curry enjoys playing a right-wing role on The Boys - Gay Times - June 27th, 2024 [June 27th, 2024]
- Alt-Tech: Down the Far Right Rabbit Hole - Grey Dynamics - June 27th, 2024 [June 27th, 2024]
- How has Pepe the Frog become a far-right icon? - Far Out Magazine - June 20th, 2024 [June 20th, 2024]
- Save Europe: the alt-right movement spreading hate with dance music - Dazed - June 20th, 2024 [June 20th, 2024]
- TV Review: THE BOYS Season 4 is a Pizzagate parody of Donald Trump's Alt-Right - Comics Beat - June 16th, 2024 [June 16th, 2024]
- The kids are alt-right: why todays youth are embracing extremism - HeraldScotland - June 16th, 2024 [June 16th, 2024]
- Nicki Minaj Is Cozying Up To Ben Shapiro And Its A Good Reminder For Us All - Yahoo Canada Sports - February 6th, 2024 [February 6th, 2024]
- Alt-Right Wackadoodles Now Impersonating the NorCal Journalists Who Exposed Their 'Zoom-Bombing' of City Meetings - SFist - February 4th, 2024 [February 4th, 2024]
- ICYMI: Trump loses in court again, and Taylor Swift broke their alt-right hearts - Daily Kos - February 4th, 2024 [February 4th, 2024]
- The alt-right saw Taylor Swift as an 'Aryan goddess.' She shook them off as 'repulsive' - Daily Kos - February 4th, 2024 [February 4th, 2024]
- How the Welsh flag has been hijacked by the far-right in Brittany - Nation.Cymru - February 4th, 2024 [February 4th, 2024]
- Doja Cat Responds To Backlash Over Alt-Right T-Shirt: 'It's Not An Attack' - HipHopDX - December 17th, 2023 [December 17th, 2023]
- Marvel and DC Writer Mark Waid Rejects Mark Millar's Call To Root Out Comic Book 'Cancel Pigs', Dishonestly Paints ... - Bounding Into Comics - December 17th, 2023 [December 17th, 2023]
- Soda Jerk's Hello Dankness The Brooklyn Rail - Brooklyn Rail - October 5th, 2023 [October 5th, 2023]
- What We Know About 'Microchip,' the FBI's Far-Right Judas - Southern Poverty Law Center - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- 'Against All Enemies' Explores Why Veterans Are Drawn to ... - Military.com - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- The American alt-right wants to set up shop in the UK - Tortoise Media - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- What you need to know about Princeton's James Madison Program - The Daily Princetonian - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Make a noise and make it clear! How John Farnhams Youre the Voice became Australias anthem - The Guardian - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Succession recap: season four, episode eight nothing is more sadistic than the words Is that even true? - The Guardian - May 16th, 2023 [May 16th, 2023]
- How younger voters will impact elections: How legacy media and social media impact old and young voters - Brookings Institution - May 16th, 2023 [May 16th, 2023]
- Is Mencken Based on Trump in 'Succession'? He's an Alt-Right ... - Distractify - May 16th, 2023 [May 16th, 2023]
- Irish Times apologises for hoax AI article about womens use of fake tan - The Guardian - May 16th, 2023 [May 16th, 2023]
- The Best Books to Read in 2023 - The New York Times - May 16th, 2023 [May 16th, 2023]
- The Reinvention of the Latin American Right - NACLA - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Pentagon leaks: how much damage will they cause? - The Guardian US - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Frog Decor Is Living in My Head Rent-Free - Architectural Digest - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Five Ways to Have More Constructive Disagreements - Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley - March 30th, 2023 [March 30th, 2023]
- Succession: The real people who inspired the HBO hit - VOGUE India - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- The web firm that wants to stop you getting 'cancelled' - BBC - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- Dutch Elections Produce Another Popular Wave But the Same Prime ... - Foreign Policy - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Trial of 2016 Twitter Troll to Test Limits of Online Speech - The New York Times - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- John Krull: Waiting for the waves in Nebraska - Kokomo Tribune - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Denver's Black, Jewish communities focus on shared history of ... - The Colorado Sun - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- The Dangerous Subtlety of the Alt-Right Pipeline - February 26th, 2023 [February 26th, 2023]
- How the Alt-Right Happened | American University, Washington, DC - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- The Women Behind The 'Alt-Right' : NPR - NPR.org - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Kanye West Praises Adolf Hitler in Alex Jones Interview Billboard - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- Michelle Malkin Fired After Defending Nick Fuentes - Mediaite - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- Netflix Removed Kanye's 'Harmful Alt-Right Beliefs' From David ... - November 22nd, 2022 [November 22nd, 2022]
- Where Are All the Women on This Alt-Right, Anti-Choice, Toxic ... - November 22nd, 2022 [November 22nd, 2022]
- Forbes Gets Punked - Labels FTX Former CEO's Girlfriend a "New Darling ... - November 22nd, 2022 [November 22nd, 2022]
- Alt-Right Picks Wrong Side in Dutch Farm Crisis - November 22nd, 2022 [November 22nd, 2022]
- Is that an OK sign? A white power symbol? Or just a right-wing troll? - November 1st, 2022 [November 1st, 2022]
- Dark Enlightenment - Wikipedia - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Shapiro poised to break spending record in governor's race after raising $25M this summer - Pennsylvania Capital-Star - October 1st, 2022 [October 1st, 2022]
- Alt-right conspiracy theorist, Stop the Steal and Pizzagate pusher ... - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- What the Woke Left and the Alt-Right Share - Project Syndicate - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Mothers of the movement: Leadership by alt-right women paves the way for violence - The Conversation - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Who is Ryder Ripps, Artist Trying To Take Down Bored Ape Yacht Club ARTnews.com - ARTnews - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- White nationalism, fueled by social media, is on the rise and attracting violent young white men - Arizona Mirror - August 24th, 2022 [August 24th, 2022]
- Flags of the alt-right, white supremacists - pennlive.com - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- January 6 Hearings Rile up Alt-Right Extremists Online - Business Insider - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- When Did Racism Begin? - The Chronicle of Higher Education - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- Standing Against Transphobia: On School Boards & in the State Houses - LGBTQ Victory Institute - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- How Rad-Trad Catholics Weaponized the Rosary - The Atlantic - August 14th, 2022 [August 14th, 2022]
- Five years after her daughter's death at the Unite the Right rally, Heather Heyer's mother reflects - WBUR News - August 14th, 2022 [August 14th, 2022]
- That's A Price I'm Willing To Pay: Wyoming's Rep. Liz Cheney Emphasizes Role In Jan. 6 Investigation And Expected Loss Ahead Of Tuesday's Primary -... - August 14th, 2022 [August 14th, 2022]
- State officials reaffirm access to reproductive health services post-Roe | Five for the Weekend - Pennsylvania Capital-Star - August 14th, 2022 [August 14th, 2022]
- In an environment of threats and fear, Kansans have the chance to create a more loving state - Kansas Reflector - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Steve Bannon Found Guilty of Contempt Related to Jan. 6 Inquiry - The New York Times - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- The Wendy Williams Shows YouTube Channel Is Gone - Them - July 6th, 2022 [July 6th, 2022]
- 'Minions 2' And 'Stranger Things' Show The Power Of Original Franchises - Forbes - July 6th, 2022 [July 6th, 2022]
- Alt-Right Incels at Deep State Daily Stormer Site Celebrate Buffalo ... - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- How 'alt-right' MAGA extremism has infiltrated the Libertarian Party ... - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- Trump and his mob tried to overthrow American democracy and threaten to try again - Ohio Capital Journal - June 28th, 2022 [June 28th, 2022]