Prosecutors: 2 'Boogaloo Bois' sought support from Hamas with hopes of sparking revolution in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Prosecutors say two members of the anti-government Boogaloo movement sought to work with terrorist organization Hamas as part of a plot to overthrow the U.S. government in the aftermath of George Floyd's death.
According to a complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota, Michael Solomon of New Brighton, Minnesota and Benjamin Teeter of Hampstead, North Carolina are charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Prosecutors say both Solomon and Teeter are "Boogaloo Bois" -- an anti-government militia group -- and a subgroup known as "Boojahideen."
The charges state, after connecting via Facebook, both men with guns took to the streets of Minneapolis during the unrest that followed George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.
During the unrest, the men met another individual who allowed them to stay at their house. That person, identified only as "Witness-1" in court papers, said the men and another armed individual discussed plans to commit acts of violence against police officers and other targets.
Among their plans, the witness told investigators that the group talked about targeting a National Guard Armory to steal weapons for Boojahideen. They also allegedly discussed killing white supremacists.
In court documents, prosecutors say the men went a step further and sought foreign help for the Boogaloo movement.
According to the complaint, the men began speaking with another person online, identified only as "confidential human source," who they believed was a member of Hamas. However, prosecutors say the individual was actually a Middle Eastern man who was an informant paid by the FBI.
In Facebook conversations and conversations on another encrypted messaging app, prosecutors say Soloman and Teeter discussed plans to overthrow the U.S. government and sought support from Hamas.
According to the complaint, Teeter asked the informant about obtaining C-4 and said he and Solomon had a background in construction that would help them demolish a structure or monument "pretty easily."
The court documents state the men eventually settled on targeting a "historic courthouse" in northern Minnesota.
The conversations eventually led to a face-to-face meeting between the informant and another man prosecutors say Teeter and Solomon believed to be with Hamas. But, prosecutors say that man was an undercover FBI agent. During the meeting, prosecutors say the men discussed weapons and financial support to move ahead with plans.
In a subsequent meeting, the complaint states Solomon and Teeter discussed modifying weapons that would later be moved to Hamas' military wing. Prosecutors say eventually, Solomon and Teeter made five working suppressors that the informant told them would be delivered to Hamas.
Later, prosecutors say the men told the informant they had changed plans and instead now wanted to target U.S. senators rather than a courthouse and expressed the desire to commit an attack similar to the 2017 shooting in Alexandria, Virginia where shots were fired at congress members during softball practice.
Both men were arrested Thursday and have been ordered to remain in federal custody until a detention hearing scheduled for next week.