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- An active-duty Marine linked to a plot to kill Black people and DNC employees was investigated by the FBI, the Daily Beast first reported.
- A warrant obtained by the Daily Beast described Travis Owens and two other men's conversations as " racially motivated extremism ideology."
- Owens was released by the Marines in 2020 and has not been charged, the report says.
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The FBI opened an investigation into an active-duty US Marine for devising a plan to kill Black people and the Democratic National Committee employees, the Daily Beast reported.
Travis Owens and two associates allegedly orchestrated the plot to target minorities with dangerous weapons, including assault rifles and explosives, according to a warrant obtained by the Daily Beast.
Someone notified the FBI about a private Facebook group, dubbed "The Right Wing Death Squad," where violent discussions were allegedly being held by Owens and two other men -James Wisdom and Jason D'Juan Garfield, both from Arkansas, according to the Daily Beast.
According to the report, the warrant states that the conversations aligned with "racially motivated extremism ideology to include aspirational violence against religious and racial minorities." The report said one of the men, Garfield, bragged about affiliations with Atomwaffen Division, labeled as "a terroristic neo-Nazi organization" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
During their investigation, the FBI analyzed several conversations – many anti-Black and anti-Semitic- between the men that took place in August 2019, according to the report.
"Sp-cs and n----rs need to hang from trees," one of the comments read, as the Daily Beast reported. In a message on August 8, 2019, Garfield allegedly asked Owens to obtain an assault rifle, according to the outlet.
"Travis, hook me up with some goodies from the armory," Garfield said, according to the warrant. " I'll pay you $100 worth of McChickens."
"Lol, I can't do that with how the security is now in the military. It's ridiculous to get your issued M16A4 service rifle," Owens responded, according to the warrant.
A few days later, on August 16, 2019, Owens responded that he has"combat engineers as friends with access to c4," as the Daily Beast reported.
According to the warrant, Garfield responded, "Bombs away, Mr. Mcveigh."
Owens allegedly added: "Yes, kill them all. I have access to so much hahaha we can make it rain bullets for days," according to the search warrant.
Owens was released from the Marine corps in 2020 amid the investigation. He has not been charged, according to the Daily Beast. In a statement to the outlet, the Marine Corps denounced extremist behavior.
"Participation in supremacist or extremist organizations or activities is a violation of Department of Defense and Marine Corps orders and will lead to mandatory processing for separation following the first substantiated incident," a Marine Corps spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Beast. "The Marine Corps is clear on its stance as it relates to racial hatred or extremism: There is no place for either in the Marine Corps. Our strength is derived from the individual excellence of every Marine, regardless of background. Bigotry and racial extremism run contrary to our core values."