FBI Says Terror Plot Thwarted in Minnesota
The defense attorney for a man arrested in what the FBI has called a thwarted terror plot said authorities have given the public misinformation about his client. A police chief said authorities are keeping an eye on the anti-government militia group founded by the man’s family.
A detention hearing was postponed Wednesday for 24-year-old Buford Rogers, who appeared in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Assistant Federal Defender Andrew Mohring requested more time to investigate the accusations against his client.
Rogers is charged with one count of illegally possessing a firearm. He was arrested Friday after FBI agents said they found a cache of explosives and weapons in his parent’s mobile home, including Molotov cocktails and suspected pipe bombs.
Rogers has not been charged with terror-related counts, and the motive behind the alleged plot and the potential target have not been publicly released. Police say he has militia ties, and he has made anti-government comments on social media.
The FBI has not released details of its investigation.
Rogers has a prior felony burglary conviction and isn’t allowed to have a gun.
“There has been a great deal of information and misinformation that has been released, and it should never have happened, and it should stop,” Mohring said in court Wednesday. When asked after the hearing to elaborate, he said rules prevented him from talking about the case.
An FBI spokesman declined to respond to Mohring’s statement.
Rogers’ father, Jeff Rogers, has said his son has done nothing wrong and is being targeted because he is outspoken about his beliefs.
Montevideo Police Chief Adam Christopher said Rogers and his family started a local anti-government militia group called the Black Snake Militia, which consists of family members and a few friends. Police believe the group is small, with a maximum of about six members.
Christopher said Rogers family members have been public about their anti-government beliefs: They regularly wear camouflage and have flown a flag upside-down at the mobile home as a sign of “distress.”
Christopher said he’s unaware of any prior threats the group made.
Rogers will remain in custody until the formal detention hearing.