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Coast Guard lieutenant arrested on suspected domestic terror plot

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Hasson, 49, was arrested Friday in Silver Spring, Maryland, on a federal criminal complaint for drug and gun charges, with reports citing an official detention memo that included a hit list, stockpiled ammunition and contact with white supremacists.

Details: "The defendant intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country ... he must be detained pending trial," according to court documents filed this week, per the Washington Post.

  • Though details such as dates and times have not been made public, officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland characterized Hasson as consumed by neofascism.
  • Hasson called for "focused violence," and was intent on killing "almost every last person on earth," according to court records filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland. Targets of the attack included media personalities and elected officials such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

What's next: The government is calling the initial charges the "proverbial tip of the iceberg." Hasson's arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Terrorism