U.S. Soldier Discussed Plans to Bomb News Network, Kill Beto O'Rourke: Feds
A U.S. Army soldier has been charged with distribution of information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction after FBI agents allegedly uncovered chats about his plans to carry out terrorist attacks in the U.S. and to travel to Ukraine to fight with extremist right-wing militias.
Federal prosecutors in Kansas said law enforcement intercepted Facebook messages from Jarrett William Smith, who was arrested on Sept. 21, in which he discussed various designs for bombs.
The soldier allegedly bragged of having “knowledge of IEDs for days” after he enlisted as a private in the Army, and FBI explosives technicians claimed in a criminal complaint that a number of the bomb designs he shared were feasible.
Excerpts of Smith’s conversations in a Facebook group chat show that he talked about targeting left-leaning organizations and individuals, in addition to media outlets. In one chat, an FBI agent with the Kansas Joint Terrorism Task Force wrote that Smith discussed using a “large vehicle bomb” against an unspecified major news network’s headquarters and assassinating Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/jarrett-william-smith-us-soldier-discussed-plans-to-bomb-news-network-kill-beto-orourke-feds