Hussain writes: "The Department of Justice proudly announced the first FBI
terror arrest of the the Trump administration on Tuesday: An elaborate sting
operation that snared a 25-year old Missouri man who had no terrorism
contacts besides the two undercover FBI agents who paid him to buy hardware
supplies they said was for a bomb - and who at one point pulled a knife on
him and threatened his family."
Roberto Lorenzo was arrested by the FBI on terrorism charges. (photo: Boone
County Sheriff's Department)
<https://theintercept.com/2017/02/22/trumps-first-terror-arrest-a-broke-ston
er-the-fbi-threatened-at-knifepoint/>
Trump's First Terror Arrest: A Broke Stoner, Who the FBI Threatened at
Knifepoint
By Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept
23 February 17
The Department of Justice proudly announced
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/missouri-man-charged-attempting-provide-mate
rial-support-isis> the first FBI terror arrest of the the Trump
administration on Tuesday: An elaborate sting operation that snared a
25-year old Missouri man who had no terrorism contacts besides the two
undercover FBI agents who paid him to buy hardware supplies they said was
for a bomb - and who at one point pulled a knife on him and threatened his
family.
Robert Lorenzo Hester of Columbia, Missouri, didn't have the $20 he needed
to buy the 9-volt batteries, duct tape, and roofing nails his new FBI
friends wanted him to get, so they gave him the money. The agents noted in a
criminal complaint <https://www.justice.gov/file/940801/download> that
Hester, who at one point brought his two small children to a meeting because
he didn't have child care, continued smoking marijuana despite professing to
be a devout Muslim.
One of the social media posts that initially caught the FBI's attention
referred to a group called "The Lion Guard". Hester told one of the
undercover agents the name came from "a cartoon my children watch."
But according to the DOJ press release, Hester had plans to conduct an
"ISIS-sponsored terrorist attack" on President's Day that would have
resulted in mass casualties had it succeeded.
News reports breathlessly echoed the government's depiction of Hester as a
foiled would-be terrorist. But the only contact Hester had with ISIS was
with the two undercover agents who suggested to him that they had
connections with the group. The agents, who were in contact with him for
five months, provided him with money and rides home from work as he dealt
with the personal fallout of an unrelated arrest stemming from an
altercation at a local grocery store.
Hester, who had briefly enlisted in the U.S. Army before being discharged in
2013, had posted images of weapons and a flag sometimes associated with
terrorist groups on a social media platform. He had also written "Burn in
hell FBI" and "Brothers in AmurdiKKKa we need to get something going here
all those rednecks have their little militias why shouldn't we do the same."
In another post, he asserted that ISIS was created as part of a conspiracy
by the United States and Israel.
Hester was arrested by local police in October after getting into a dispute
with his wife in the parking lot of a grocery store, allegedly damaging
store property. The FBI complaint says that when store employees confronted
Hester "he assumed an aggressive stance, forcefully placed his hand into the
diaper bag he was carrying, in a manner that appeared to be reaching for a
weapon." Police, they said, later recovered a 9-millimeter handgun from the
diaper bag.
Hester was taken into custody and released 10 days later, placed under
electronic monitoring and subject to drug testing until his court
appearance.
According to the complaint, the FBI undercover agent began communicating
with him a day before he was arrested, and continued after Hester left jail
- commenting on Hester's anti-government social media posts (which included
news articles about a U.S. military strike in Yemen) and offering to help
Hester with his expressed desire of "hitting [the government] hard". The
agent told Hester that he knew some individuals he had met recently who
shared these ideas.
In subsequent private messaging conversations, Hester told the agent that he
wanted to do something to hurt the U.S. economy, adding that "we need some
big help." The agent offered to introduce Hester to "some brothers" who
could assist.
The agent also "raised the subject of firearms," sending Hester pictures of
assault rifles that "the brothers" had transported for someone else
recently.
The complaint reports that a few weeks later, the first agent set up a
meeting for Hester with a second agent, who posed as someone with direct
terrorist connections. The meeting was in an FBI car. Hester brought his two
young children, which he said "could not be avoided, given his child care
responsibilities that day."
"I don't like America, like for my kids," Hester said, according to a
recording.
On November 30, the second undercover agent gave Hester a ride home from his
job and gave him $100, telling him that "this is one job that one brother is
supposed to do to another..it's my duty to make sure that the brother is
okay." Two days later, the agent gave him a ride home from work again.
Hester said he "was thinking about oil lines, hitting oil pipelines and oil
markets," or targeting "computer systems and stuff." He also said he would
be willing to help train others in the tactics that he had learned during
his short stint in the Army.
The agent cautioned Hester that once he decided to proceed there was "no
turning back." He also told Hester that under no circumstances was he to do
conduct any sort of operation on his own. The agent, referred to in the
complaint as UC-2, then "threatened to come back and find HESTER if he
learned that HESTER reneged on the promise. For emphasis, and for the
purpose of mitigating the security threat posed by HESTER, UC-2 displayed a
knife and reminded HESTER that UC-2 knew where HESTER and his family lived,
among other forceful words."
Hester later complained to the first undercover agent that the second agent
had threatened to harm him if he "talked about any plans" or "planned
without letting him know." According to the complaint, Hester told the first
agent that it was wrong for the second agent to threaten his family.
During December, the second agent continued giving Hester rides home. He
gave Hester a new cellphone and free minutes.
Meanwhile, a warrant was issued for Hester after he violated the terms of
his bond by testing positive for marijuana. He pled guilty in January to
charges stemming from the incident in the grocery store parking lot.
On January 31, the second agent met Hester and gave him a list of items to
buy, including 9-volt batteries, duct tape, copper wire, and roofing nails,
telling Hester that these would used to build an explosive. According to the
criminal complaint, the agent gave him $20 to buy the items, after they had
"confirmed that HESTER could not get the money." Hester agreed to repay the
money when he could.
Description: (photo: The Intercept)
The next day the agent came to Hester's house, where Hester gave him the
requested items, except the copper wire which he had been unable to find.
The agent said he was planning to conduct a violent terrorist attack for the
Islamic State and asked if Hester was willing to take part. Hester replied
"I'm down." The agent then opened the trunk of his car to display several
assault rifles and bomb components, all of which had been rendered
inoperable by the FBI.
Hester promised that he would help buy ammunition for the weapons once he
had received the money from his tax refund.
Over the next few weeks, Hester also continued communicating with the first
undercover agent, messaging to say that he was "happy to be part" of the
coming attack. The first agent told Hester the attack would take place on
President's Day - Feb. 20 - "and that the targets of the operation would
include buses, trains and a train station in Kansas City, Missouri."
Hester "expressed approval," according to the complaint, and asked if
supplies were needed. The first agent said they needed shrapnel, including
nails and screws.
When the second agent picked Hester up at his house on Feb. 17, Hester had
some roofing nails. The two then drove to a nearby storage facility where
Hester was arrested.
While Hester clearly appears to be a troubled and volatile individual, as
evidenced by the incident at the grocery store parking lot, there appears to
be little to suggest that he had the wherewithal or capacity to carry out a
terrorist attack without the guidance and assistance provided by the two
agents. His case is similar to many others in which individuals in
financial, legal or psychological distress have been befriended by
undercover FBI agents or government informants and coaxed into developing a
terrorist plot.
Hester agreed to go along with the agents' plans, even when they described
to him in detail their violent intentions. But that - and buying the
hardware supplies requested by the agents - appears to be all he did. There
is no evidence that he had ever been in touch with actual terrorists or had
developed a plot of his own. Some of what he agreed to go along with in this
case also came after an undercover agent had pulled out a knife and
threatened to kill him and his family.
Regardless, Hester is now in federal custody on charges of attempting to
provide material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted on the
charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
<http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize>
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Roberto Lorenzo was arrested by the FBI on terrorism charges. (photo: Boone
County Sheriff's Department)
https://theintercept.com/2017/02/22/trumps-first-terror-arrest-a-broke-stone
r-the-fbi-threatened-at-knifepoint/https://theintercept.com/2017/02/22/trump
s-first-terror-arrest-a-broke-stoner-the-fbi-threatened-at-knifepoint/
Trump's First Terror Arrest: A Broke Stoner, Who the FBI Threatened at
Knifepoint
By Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept
23 February 17
he Department of Justice proudly announced
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/missouri-man-charged-attempting-provide-mate
rial-support-isis> the first FBI terror arrest of the the Trump
administration on Tuesday: An elaborate sting operation that snared a
25-year old Missouri man who had no terrorism contacts besides the two
undercover FBI agents who paid him to buy hardware supplies they said was
for a bomb - and who at one point pulled a knife on him and threatened his
family.
Robert Lorenzo Hester of Columbia, Missouri, didn't have the $20 he needed
to buy the 9-volt batteries, duct tape, and roofing nails his new FBI
friends wanted him to get, so they gave him the money. The agents noted in a
criminal complaint <https://www.justice.gov/file/940801/download> that
Hester, who at one point brought his two small children to a meeting because
he didn't have child care, continued smoking marijuana despite professing to
be a devout Muslim.
One of the social media posts that initially caught the FBI's attention
referred to a group called "The Lion Guard". Hester told one of the
undercover agents the name came from "a cartoon my children watch."
But according to the DOJ press release, Hester had plans to conduct an
"ISIS-sponsored terrorist attack" on President's Day that would have
resulted in mass casualties had it succeeded.
News reports breathlessly echoed the government's depiction of Hester as a
foiled would-be terrorist. But the only contact Hester had with ISIS was
with the two undercover agents who suggested to him that they had
connections with the group. The agents, who were in contact with him for
five months, provided him with money and rides home from work as he dealt
with the personal fallout of an unrelated arrest stemming from an
altercation at a local grocery store.
Hester, who had briefly enlisted in the U.S. Army before being discharged in
2013, had posted images of weapons and a flag sometimes associated with
terrorist groups on a social media platform. He had also written "Burn in
hell FBI" and "Brothers in AmurdiKKKa we need to get something going here
all those rednecks have their little militias why shouldn't we do the same."
In another post, he asserted that ISIS was created as part of a conspiracy
by the United States and Israel.
Hester was arrested by local police in October after getting into a dispute
with his wife in the parking lot of a grocery store, allegedly damaging
store property. The FBI complaint says that when store employees confronted
Hester "he assumed an aggressive stance, forcefully placed his hand into the
diaper bag he was carrying, in a manner that appeared to be reaching for a
weapon." Police, they said, later recovered a 9-millimeter handgun from the
diaper bag.
Hester was taken into custody and released 10 days later, placed under
electronic monitoring and subject to drug testing until his court
appearance.
According to the complaint, the FBI undercover agent began communicating
with him a day before he was arrested, and continued after Hester left jail
- commenting on Hester's anti-government social media posts (which included
news articles about a U.S. military strike in Yemen) and offering to help
Hester with his expressed desire of "hitting [the government] hard". The
agent told Hester that he knew some individuals he had met recently who
shared these ideas.
In subsequent private messaging conversations, Hester told the agent that he
wanted to do something to hurt the U.S. economy, adding that "we need some
big help." The agent offered to introduce Hester to "some brothers" who
could assist.
The agent also "raised the subject of firearms," sending Hester pictures of
assault rifles that "the brothers" had transported for someone else
recently.
The complaint reports that a few weeks later, the first agent set up a
meeting for Hester with a second agent, who posed as someone with direct
terrorist connections. The meeting was in an FBI car. Hester brought his two
young children, which he said "could not be avoided, given his child care
responsibilities that day."
"I don't like America, like for my kids," Hester said, according to a
recording.
On November 30, the second undercover agent gave Hester a ride home from his
job and gave him $100, telling him that "this is one job that one brother is
supposed to do to another..it's my duty to make sure that the brother is
okay." Two days later, the agent gave him a ride home from work again.
Hester said he "was thinking about oil lines, hitting oil pipelines and oil
markets," or targeting "computer systems and stuff." He also said he would
be willing to help train others in the tactics that he had learned during
his short stint in the Army.
The agent cautioned Hester that once he decided to proceed there was "no
turning back." He also told Hester that under no circumstances was he to do
conduct any sort of operation on his own. The agent, referred to in the
complaint as UC-2, then "threatened to come back and find HESTER if he
learned that HESTER reneged on the promise. For emphasis, and for the
purpose of mitigating the security threat posed by HESTER, UC-2 displayed a
knife and reminded HESTER that UC-2 knew where HESTER and his family lived,
among other forceful words."
Hester later complained to the first undercover agent that the second agent
had threatened to harm him if he "talked about any plans" or "planned
without letting him know." According to the complaint, Hester told the first
agent that it was wrong for the second agent to threaten his family.
During December, the second agent continued giving Hester rides home. He
gave Hester a new cellphone and free minutes.
Meanwhile, a warrant was issued for Hester after he violated the terms of
his bond by testing positive for marijuana. He pled guilty in January to
charges stemming from the incident in the grocery store parking lot.
On January 31, the second agent met Hester and gave him a list of items to
buy, including 9-volt batteries, duct tape, copper wire, and roofing nails,
telling Hester that these would used to build an explosive. According to the
criminal complaint, the agent gave him $20 to buy the items, after they had
"confirmed that HESTER could not get the money." Hester agreed to repay the
money when he could.
The next day the agent came to Hester's house, where Hester gave him the
requested items, except the copper wire which he had been unable to find.
The agent said he was planning to conduct a violent terrorist attack for the
Islamic State and asked if Hester was willing to take part. Hester replied
"I'm down." The agent then opened the trunk of his car to display several
assault rifles and bomb components, all of which had been rendered
inoperable by the FBI.
Hester promised that he would help buy ammunition for the weapons once he
had received the money from his tax refund.
Over the next few weeks, Hester also continued communicating with the first
undercover agent, messaging to say that he was "happy to be part" of the
coming attack. The first agent told Hester the attack would take place on
President's Day - Feb. 20 - "and that the targets of the operation would
include buses, trains and a train station in Kansas City, Missouri."
Hester "expressed approval," according to the complaint, and asked if
supplies were needed. The first agent said they needed shrapnel, including
nails and screws.
When the second agent picked Hester up at his house on Feb. 17, Hester had
some roofing nails. The two then drove to a nearby storage facility where
Hester was arrested.
While Hester clearly appears to be a troubled and volatile individual, as
evidenced by the incident at the grocery store parking lot, there appears to
be little to suggest that he had the wherewithal or capacity to carry out a
terrorist attack without the guidance and assistance provided by the two
agents. His case is similar to many others in which individuals in
financial, legal or psychological distress have been befriended by
undercover FBI agents or government informants and coaxed into developing a
terrorist plot.
Hester agreed to go along with the agents' plans, even when they described
to him in detail their violent intentions. But that - and buying the
hardware supplies requested by the agents - appears to be all he did. There
is no evidence that he had ever been in touch with actual terrorists or had
developed a plot of his own. Some of what he agreed to go along with in this
case also came after an undercover agent had pulled out a knife and
threatened to kill him and his family.
Regardless, Hester is now in federal custody on charges of attempting to
provide material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted on the
charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socializehttp://e-max.it/posizioname
nto-siti-web/socialize
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