Man arrested in plan to bomb Oklahoma bank

[PACOX]

A 23-year-old man who was "out for blood" when he attempted to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van outside an Oklahoma bank in a plot similar to the deadly 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, authorities said Monday.

During a meeting with undercover FBI agents in June, Jerry Drake Varnell of Sayre, Oklahoma, said he held "III% ideology" and wanted "to start the next revolution," a reference to the "Three Percenters" patriot movement — begun in 2008, galvanized by President Barack Obama's election — and that has rallied against gun control efforts and pledges resistance to the federal government over the infringement of constitutional rights.

Federal officials arrested Varnell early Saturday in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb in an alley adjacent to BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City. Varnell is charged with attempting to use explosives to destroy a building in interstate commerce.

Varnell made an initial appearance before a federal judge Monday afternoon and remains in the custody of federal marshals. Court records do not indicate whether Varnell is represented by an attorney.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the allegations are a somber reminder that Americans must remain vigilant about home-grown extremism and radicalization in local communities.

On Saturday, a rally by white nationalists and others opposed to a plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville, Virginia, park turned violent and led to the death of a 32-year-old woman who was struck by a car allegedly driven by a man into a crowd of people protesting the rally. A Virginia State Police helicopter deployed in a large-scale police response to the violence then crashed into the woods outside of town and both troopers on board died.

A federal complaint filed on Sunday says a confidential informant told the FBI in December that Varnell wanted to blow up a building and "that Varnell was upset with the government and was seeking retaliation."

Officials said Varnell initially wanted to blow up the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., with a device similar to one used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more.

In a series of text messages with the FBI's informant, Varnell "claimed to have a bunker for when the world (or United States) collapsed" and indicated he was trying to build a team, the complaint states.

"I'm out for blood," the complaint quotes Varnell's texts. "When militias start getting formed I'm going after government officials when I have a team."

But an undercover FBI agent posed as someone who could help Varnell build a bomb and the device used was actually inert, authorities said. Varnell's actions were monitored closely for months as the plot developed.

"There was never a concern that our community's safety or security was at risk during this investigation," said Kathryn Peterson, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma.

The undercover agent met face-to-face with him on June 1 to discuss obtaining materials for an ammonium nitrate and fuel oil bomb similar to the one used in the Oklahoma City bombing, the complaint states.

Varnell indicated at the meeting that he had previously made homemade explosives and that he "was of the same mind with people who wanted to use explosives and make a statement," the complaint says.

"Something needs to be done," Varnell said, but killing a lot of people was not a good idea, according to the complaint. During text conversations in July, Varnell stated he wanted to conduct the attack after closing hours to prevent casualties but conceded that some bank workers or custodians who were inside the building could be killed or injured in the blast, it says.

The complaint says Varnell helped assemble the device and load it into what he believed was a stolen van. Shortly after midnight on Saturday, Varnell drove the van by himself from a storage unit in El Reno, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the bank in Oklahoma City, and dialed a number on a cell telephone that he believed would trigger the explosion. The FBI and members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Varnell shortly before 1 a.m.

The complaint also states that Varnell prepared a statement to be posted on Facebook after the explosion which reads in part that the attack was "retaliation against the freedoms that have been taken away from the American people" and "an act done to show the government what the people think of its actions."

Both of Oklahoma's Republican U.S. senators said the alleged plot could have rivaled the devastation caused by the Oklahoma City bombing 22 years ago.

"It is chilling to think that a sympathizer of Timothy McVeigh would want to act on hate, as a tribute to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil before September 11," Lankford said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe said law enforcement authorities "successfully prevented a hateful act of domestic terrorism."

If convicted, Varnell faces between five and 20 years in prison.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/f...-bank-49208876

Thankfully he was stopped before he could carry out his plan.

[Independent voter]

Yet one more crazy who hoped to start a race war. It's like a fantasy with these guys.

I don't doubt the driver of the car who killed that girl in Charlottesville had the same motive.

And the guy who went into that black church and killed all those black people? Same thing, he hoped to start a race war.

Another person who wanted to start a race war? Charles Manson.

[gyrados]

now this man right here is a nazi i mean look at that swastika this is a a bad hombre

[Ehrenpanzer]

Who the hell BOMBS a bank? Damn idiots... ROB the place....

[PACOX]

now this man right here is a nazi i mean look at that swastika this is a a bad hombre

This is the guy

[gyrados]

This is the guy

oh haha well huge fail on my part but yeah bad hombre for wanting to bomb a bank regardless tho ^^

[Balrogix]

The complaint also states that Varnell prepared a statement to be posted on Facebook after the explosion which reads in part that the attack was "retaliation against the freedoms that have been taken away from the American people" and "an act done to show the government what the people think of its actions."

I'll state once again: Ostracizing these types of people for their views will only make them retreat to places where there are only those of the same mind, making them even more radicalized.

Luckily he wasn't able to complete his plan, but if we stopped pretending to be virtuous and actually tried de-radicalizing them we would not even have a terrorist attempt in the first place.

[Deleted]

Who the hell BOMBS a bank? Damn idiots... ROB the place....

Jesus?

[Machismo]

I'll state once again: Ostracizing these types of people for their views will only make them retreat to places where there are only those of the same mind, making them even more radicalized.

Luckily he wasn't able to complete his plan, but if we stopped pretending to be virtuous and actually tried de-radicalizing them we would not even have a terrorist attempt in the first place.

So, do you want to hug the racist terrorists?

- - - Updated - - -

I'm still trying to figure out how the radical rightwing is actually different than ISIS?

They bomb stuff, shoot at innocent people, mow them down with cars, threaten those not like them, want to create their own pure, sovereign state.

[Dug]

First cars and now bombs? These guys have far more in common with the Islamist extremists they so hate. Might as well team up at this point.

[Donald Hellscream]

This is the guy

He looks like a dude carrying out some pathetic teen fantasy he picked up in a video game.. Thats obviously not the video games fault thats the vibe he is giving me.

[Azadina]

So, do you want to hug the racist terrorists?

- - - Updated - - -

I'm still trying to figure out how the radical rightwing is actually different than ISIS?

They bomb stuff, shoot at innocent people, mow them down with cars, threaten those not like them, want to create their own pure, sovereign state.

The ones who do terrorism and those who make excuses for it, such as the other thread that's completely full of it, are not any different. It's all the same with different label.

[prwraith]

Are people really that blind to all the good obama did ? So much so they want to bomb a bank.

For gods sake he wasn't any worse than bush and nobody bombed anything aside from actual terrorists.

[Deleted]

Nice to see the FBI hasn't changed its modus operandi under all the new managment. Find mentally unstable fantasists to groom so that they can entrap and arrest them. Usually just do it to brown people, nice to see them do it to whitey too.

[Independent voter]

He looks like a dude carrying out some pathetic teen fantasy he picked up in a video game.. Thats obviously not the video games fault thats the vibe he is giving me.

Was listening to the news, they said often times these boys are war nerds, they can tell you everything about every WWII battle for example. Most teen boys stop there. Then there are few who are attracted to the Nazi ideal, they go online and find like minded people and that's when they become radicalized. There are always a lot of people in Nazi social media who mouth off and never do anything, the vast majority, these people give ideas to a tiny few like the guy in the OP article.

[Balrogix]

So, do you want to hug the racist terrorists?

I'm still trying to figure out how the radical rightwing is actually different than ISIS?

They bomb stuff, shoot at innocent people, mow them down with cars, threaten those not like them, want to create their own pure, sovereign state.

If they did commit a crime, which is the case here and Charlottestville, then there are no excuses, they should be trialed and jailed. I am criticizing not trying to de-radicalize those with extreme views. And why do we not try to radicalize them? Because they say bad word.
Destroying their lives because they uttered hate speech is the way to breed more radicals. What we need to do is drag their ideas to the light and discussed them, show them why they are not they way to go. De-escalate things!

The ones who do terrorism and those who make excuses for it, such as the other thread that's completely full of it, are not any different. It's all the same with different label.

I condemn terrorism. I condemn terrorists.

I also condemn our culture of virtue signaling, which people don't want to be virtuous and actually deal with the problem of radicalization, they just want to be seen as virtuous by others.

[Machismo]

If they did commit a crime, which is the case here and Charlottestville, then there are no excuses, they should be trialed and jailed. I am criticizing not trying to de-radicalize those with extreme views. And why do we not try to radicalize them? Because they say bad word.
Destroying their lives because they uttered hate speech is the way to breed more radicals. What we need to do is drag their ideas to the light and discussed them, show them why they are not they way to go. De-escalate things!



I condemn terrorism. I condemn terrorists.

I also condemn our culture of virtue signaling, which people don't want to be virtuous and actually deal with the problem of radicalization, they just want to be seen as virtuous by others.

How are we destroying their lives?

If a guy cheats on his wife, and someone tells her about it, do we blame the person who told her? No, you blame the guy who cheated on his wife. Who he blames doesn't really matter, because rational thought isn't going to change his mind.

If you don't want to ostracize him, then don't do it. Feel free to try and befriend him, and show him the light. However, studies have shown that rationality and logic does not work on the willfully ignorant. In fact, it actually makes them believe their lies even harder. We have been highlighting this type of mentality for decades, and explained quite clearly why it is not the way to go. We cannot pull someone's head out of his own ass, especially if he happens to like the view.

[Noomz]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/f...-bank-49208876

Thankfully he was stopped before he could carry out his plan.

Very good job, FBI!

[ItachiZaku]

Jesus?

Jesus flipping tables in a fit of rage never gets old.

[Balrogix]

How are we destroying their lives?

Doing a facial recognition, tying that face to a name, an address, an employer, broadcasting to as many people as possible about that person, going out of your way to contacting that person's employer, harassing them non-stop, chasing them out of any social media with mass reports, etc.

If a guy cheats on his wife, and someone tells her about it, do we blame the person who told her? No, you blame the guy who cheated on his wife. Who he blames doesn't really matter, because rational thought isn't going to change his mind.

Except, if we compare your analogy to my argument, the person that cheated on his wife is the terrorist, he actually committed an act that is criminal. If the person uttering hate speech is to be created within your analogy, it would be a person that is saying ok with people cheating on their significant other. Until he actually do it, we shouldn't be outing them.

If you don't want to ostracize him, then don't do it. Feel free to try and befriend him, and show him the light. However, studies have shown that rationality and logic does not work on the willfully ignorant. In fact, it actually makes them believe their lies even harder. We have been highlighting this type of mentality for decades, and explained quite clearly why it is not the way to go. We cannot pull someone's head out of his own ass, especially if he happens to like the view.

A black man was able to make people leave the KKK by befriending them.

A second source about the same guy.

People can change. We need to give a chance to those that have yet to commit terrorism. Else we are just postponing a problem that can come back even worst.