The FBI has arrested an Arizona man on multiple gun and hate crime charges after he allegedly plotted a mass shooting at a rap concert in Georgia “to incite a race war prior to the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.”
Mark Alan Prieto, 58, a supposed right-winger reportedly revealed his plans to an FBI informant who “spoke with him more than a dozen times over three years at various gun shows.” He allegedly tried to recruit the informant and another undercover agent to stage the attack at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Why is Georgia such a f*cked up state now? When I was a kid, that was one of the most conservative states in the Country,” Prieto is alleged to have told the undercover individuals. The FBI further alleges that Prieto told the agents “that he wanted to target a rap concert because there would be a high concentration of African Americans” and that he wanted to use smoke grenades and a grenade launcher to “cause more panic.”
According to the FBI, “Prieto did not know the individuals were working with the government, but instead believed that they shared his racist beliefs and wanted to commit a mass shooting to incite a race war.”
This author does not find the story incredibly believable. Remember when the FBI busted a “right-wing” plot to kidnap and kill far-left Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the state government, but the ringleader was an FBI informant?
As The Gateway Pundit reported, the FBI used at least 12 informants in the Michigan Whitmer kidnapping case.
This latest alleged plot sure is convenient for Biden’s “MAGA extremist” and anti-gun narratives with the 2024 election coming up…
Via NBC:
More from Fox 10 Phoenix:
The FBI issued the following press release on Tuesday:
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Mark Adams Prieto, 58, of Prescott, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on Firearms Trafficking, Transfer of a Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.
The indictment alleges that, between January 2024 and May 2024, Prieto had discussions with two individuals working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to devise a plan to commit a mass shooting of African Americans and other minorities to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election. Prieto did not know the individuals were working with the government, but instead believed that they shared his racist beliefs and wanted to commit a mass shooting to incite a race war. The targeted event was a concert in Atlanta that was going to be held on May 14 and May 15, 2024.
The indictment further alleges that, having discussed specific details about the planned attack, Prieto sold two rifles to one of the individuals, an AK-style rifle on February 25, 2024, and an AR-style rifle on March 24, 2024. During the entire investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation closely monitored Prieto’s movements. On May 14, 2024, Prieto was stopped by law enforcement driving east from Arizona through New Mexico along Interstate 40. Prieto was in possession of seven firearms and was taken into federal custody. Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at his home in Prescott. Law enforcement found more firearms in his residence, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
Each conviction for Firearms Trafficking and Transfer of Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Phoenix Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Albuquerque Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and the Prescott Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution, along with the U.S Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-074_Prieto
This is a developing story…
