Three men connected to a right-wing extremist movement to overthrow the government have been arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly conspiring to spark violence during protests over George Floyd’s death.
According to the AP, the men—each of whom has U.S. military experience—were arrested on Saturday after filling gas cans at a parking lot and making Molotov cocktails in bottles, according to the criminal complaint:
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas on Wednesday said they self-identified as part of the “boogaloo” movement, which U.S. prosecutors said in the document is “a term used by extremists to signify coming civil war and/or fall of civilization.”
Stephen T. Parshall, 35, Andrew T. Lynam Jr., 23, and William L. Loomis, 40, were being held on $1 million bond each in the Clark County jail Wednesday, according to court records. Lynam is from suburban Henderson and the others are from Las Vegas.
The complaint said Lynam is an Army reservist, with Parshall formerly enlisted in the Navy and Loomis formerly enlisted in the Air Force.
Prosecutors said the three white men allegedly began concocting the plan in April in conjunction with protests to reopen businesses closed due to coronavirus. But the protests over George Floyd’s death, however, became an even more appealing target:
The informant stated that Parshall and Loomis’ “idea behind the explosion was to hopefully create civil unrest and rioting throughout Las Vegas.”
They wanted to use the momentum from riots occurring nationwide because of Floyd’s death “to hopefully stir enough confusion and excitement, that others see the explosions and police presence and begin to riot in the streets out of anger,” the complaint said.
Each man faces federal charges of conspiring to damage and destroy by fire and explosive, as well as possession of unregistered firearms. In Nevada, they’re accused of felony conspiracy, terrorism, and explosives possession.