Two men described as white supremacists have been charged in Virginia with attempting to illegally buy weapons and explosives in a plot to attack synagogues and black churches, the Associated Press reports.
According to the report, Robert C. Doyle and Ronald Beasley Chaney III tried to buy an automatic weapon, explosives and a pistol with a silencer from three undercover FBI agents posing as illegal-firearms dealers. The men were subsequently charged with conspiracy to possess firearms after being convicted of felonies, according to an affidavit filed Monday by FBI agent James R. Rudisill.
Another man, Charles D. Halderman, is accused of planning to rob a jeweler and use the money to help Doyle buy weapons for "an impending race war," according to the affidavit, earning him charges of a robbery conspiracy.
Rudisill described the men as subscribing "to a white supremacy extremist version of the Asatru faith," which emphasizes Norse gods and traditions. The affidavit said that Doyle wanted to have a meeting at his home in September to discuss "shooting or bombing the occupants of black churches and Jewish synagogues, conducting acts of violence against persons of Jewish faith, and doing harm to a gun store owner in the state of Oklahoma."
The meeting did take place, FBI surveillance confirmed, and about a month afterward, Doyle and Chaney met for the first time with an undercover agent to discuss the purchase of the weapons. Doyle placed an order, despite Chaney's hesitation. This past Sunday, the sale was completed and Chaney was arrested at the scene. Doyle was arrested later that day and admitted that he and Chaney had arranged to buy the weapons.
Agents conducted a search of Doyle's home and uncovered more than 30 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition from his vehicle. The FBI declined to say whether the alleged attacks were believed to have been imminent.
Read more at the Associated Press.