CHICAGO: Two American members of the anarchist group Boogaloo Bois, also called Boojahideen, have been charged with providing material support to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US.
The suspects — Michael Robert Solomon, 30, from Minnesota, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, from North Carolina — reached out to people they believed were members of a Hamas cell in the US, offering to provide weapons that could be used to kill Americans.
The alleged Hamas contact was an undercover federal agent involved with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend’,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the National Security Division.
“As alleged in the complaint, these defendants sought to use violence against the police, other government officials and government property as part of their desire to overthrow the government,” he added.
“While planning these activities, the defendants met individuals whom they believed to be members of the foreign terrorist group Hamas. Thinking that they shared the same desire to harm the United States, they sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories, to Hamas. They failed.”
Hamas has denounced the suspects and denied any links to the anarchist group.
In audio-recorded conversations, Solomon and Teeter said Hamas’s views against the US government align with their own.
They also expressed their desire to become “mercenaries” for Hamas as a means to generate cash for the Boogaloo Bois for recruitment and purchasing land for a training compound.
Members of the Boogaloo Bois have been accused of fomenting violence in response to protests organized by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. They are accused of bringing weapons to the protests and seeking to ignite a race war.
The FBI began investigating the suspects during the unrest that followed the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25.
Solomon and Teeter expressed their ability to manufacture unmarked parts for guns and create unregistered and untraceable weapons.
On July 30, they delivered to the FBI’s undercover agent five gun “suppressors” or “silencers,” and expressed their desire to manufacture additional suppressors and fully automatic weapons for Hamas, officials said.
Solomon and Teeter negotiated a price of $1,800 for five additional suppressors. They also delivered a “drop in auto sear” (DIAS), a part that is designed to convert non-automatic weapons into automatic ones.
Solomon and Teeter said they believed the suppressors and DIAS would be used by Hamas overseas to attack Israeli and US troops.
