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ck_enizete
13 months agoThe men were arrested Monday night after unknowingly working with an FBI informant for months, a strategy that federal investigators have used repeatedly in recent years to nab alleged terrorists. "They talked about making a statement against corporate America and the government as some of the motivations for their actions," U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said in announcing the arrests with the head of the FBI in Cleveland, Stephen Anthony. The alleged plotters researched explosives and obtained what they thought was C-4 explosives. The material, in fact, was harmless and the public was never at risk, because the men got it from the informant, officials said.
The men planted the fake explosives at the base of the bridge, armed them, went to a remote spot and "entered the codes that they thought would blow up the bridge with innocent people traveling over it," Dettelbach said.
Court documents detail several conversations the FBI secretly recorded in which its informant discussed the bomb plans with some of the suspects. In one, Brandon L. Baxter, 20, of Lakewood allegedly said "Taking out a bridge in the business district would cost the ... corporate big wigs a lot of money" because it would cause structural damage and prevent people from going to work.
He and another suspect, Douglas L. Wright, 26, of Indianapolis, favored targeting a bridge because it would limit "the number of casualties and the potential for killing possible supporters," court documents said.
The men were charged with conspiracy and trying to bomb property used in interstate commerce. All five appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court, where Magistrate Judge Greg White ordered them jailed without bond pending a hearing Monday.
In addition to Baxter and Wright, the suspects were identified as Joshua S. Stafford, 23, and Anthony Hayne, 35, both of Cleveland, and Connor Stevens, 20, of suburban Berea. The charges carry possible penalties of more than 20 years in prison.
At the hearing, the men, with wrist manacles chained to the waist, sat in the jury box with their attorneys and acknowledged receiving copies of the complaint against them and an understanding of their rights. At the end of the hearing, Stevens' father, James, shouted, "Love you, Connor." The father left court without commenting. The target of the plot was a bridge that carries a state highway over part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and a picturesque scenic rail line and canal towpath in the Brecksville area, about 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland.
The men had been associated with the anti-corporate Occupy Cleveland movement but don't share its non-violent views, organizer Debbie Kline said. "They were in no way representing or acting on behalf of Occupy Cleveland," Kline said in an email canceling the group's May Day protest at a GE Lighting plant in view of the arrests of the "autonomous group" of five.
The alleged plotters were frustrated that other anti-corporate protesters opposed violence, according to Dettelbach, citing the criminal complaint filed in the case. "It talks about the anger and frustration that these five individuals felt that other people would not support their violent aims," Dettelbach said.
Federal authorities said their investigation was aided by a paid confidential source who had previous robbery and other convictions and was on probation for passing bad checks. The informant began making contact with the men in October and had recorded conversations with them over the past three months, according to an affidavit. The men considered different plots over time, including distracting law enforcement with smoke grenades while trying to bring down financial institution signs in downtown Cleveland. The men also discussed other potential targets, including a law enforcement center, oil wells, a cargo ship or the opening of a new downtown casino, according to the affidavit. The document also alleges that one suspect talked about being part of group planning to cause trouble during an upcoming NATO summit in Chicago.
The group finally settled on blowing up the busy bridge, federal authorities alleged. The arrests mark the latest case in which an FBI informant plans fake terrorism plots alongside targeted suspects. Several arrests in the last few years indicate it's a top strategy for the government in preventing terrorism.
Similar cases have included that of Rezwan Ferdaus, a Muslim American in Massachusetts who was arrested in September after undercover agents posed as al-Qaida members and delivered what Ferdaus believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosives. Authorities accuse Ferdaus of plotting to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.
In Oregon, authorities arrested Mohamed Mohamud after they say the Somali American attempted to detonate a weapon of mass destruction at a Portland Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in November 2010. Authorities pretended to show Mohamud how to detonate a bomb and offered him cash to buy bomb-making parts and an apartment to hide in. n both cases — and in others involving plots in Chicago, New York and Texas — FBI agents have communicated with suspects over a period of time to set up fictional terrorism plots. Defense attorneys in those cases have accused federal authorities of conducting overblown sting operations that entrapped their clients. Authorities have defended the practice, saying it's prevented countless terrorist attacks.
The announcement of the arrests came as Occupy demonstrators joined Tuesday protests marking International Workers Day, or May Day.
Franko reported from Columbus, Ohio. Associated Press writers Barbara Rodriguez in Columbus and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report. Reply
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ck_enizete
13 months agoA bedraggled group of five men were led into the federal courtroom of Judge Gregory White on Tuesday afternoon, where they heard the charges against them related to an alleged plot to blow up a suburban Cleveland bridge.
According to federal documents, Douglas Wright, 26, was the ringleader of the bunch. According to federal authorities, this wasn't the first time he'd been in trouble with the law.
Wright was from Bloomington, Indiana and had done time on a felony charge. He was being recorded by a confidential informant working with federal agents when he was overheard saying he did not want to go back to prison. Wright more recently lived in Columbus and in Newark, Ohio.
20-year-old Brandon Baxter grew up in Lakewood and graduated from Lakewood High School. His mother, Wendy Raymond, told Fox 8's Lorrie Taylor she hadn't spoken with her son in more than two years.
Baxter moved out shortly after his graduation and had been living with his father in Lakewood. Raymond said she never knew her son to be violent or political. He had been arrested back in January while protesting with the Cleveland arm of Occupy Wall Street.
According to Raymond, her son's illegal behavior may have been motivated by the foreclosure of his father's home, which is listed in the Cuyahoga County docket.
Anthony Hayne is the oldest of the bunch at the age of 35. He is also from Lakewood and has been in and out of Cleveland municipal court on various charges over the years, most of them were traffic offenses, but there was one arrest for drugs.
20 year old Connor Stevens is from Berea and has family is still in the area. They came to the federal courthouse in Cleveland hoping to speak with the 20 year old but were ushered out of the courtroom by an officer.
"I just wanted to say hello," said his father, James Stevens.
23 year old Joshua Stafford is from Newark, where Wright also lived. Like his friends, he is accused of conspiracy and the attempted use of explosive devices. If found guilty, each of the accused could spend up to 25 years in federal prison.
They are being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshal until a detention hearing can be held on Monday.
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