Ordained Minister Plots Xenophobic Terror Attack
On May 15th, The Muslims of America, Inc. released information of a plot by Robert Doggart to destroy the school and mosque of the Muslim village of Islamberg in Hancock, NY.
Robert Doggart, a 63-year-old former Congressional candidate of Signal Mountain, Tennessee and an ordained minister of the Christian National Church was arrested for plotting the attack on April 10th. On April 24th Doggart pled guilty to “interstate communication of threat” which means that he knowingly made a true threat to injure the person of another. These threats, according to an affidavit from an FBI investigation submitted during federal court proceedings, included burning down the school and Mosque in the Muslim Village of Islamberg, but Doggart also threatened to “take them out,” if needed.
The affidavit contains testimony that Doggart communicated with others across the country who wanted to create a “flashpoint,” which Doggart explains as “we take a small military installation, or we go burn down a Muslim church.” His plans were documented in an intercepted call.
Doggart’s communications also show that he and others were thinking about waiting until the United States began their Jade Helm 15 Military exercises, that he felt were an attempt by the US government to begin martial law in Utah & Texas and planned to attack Islamberg as retaliation for what they perceive to be a federal government takeover.
According to an FBI wiretap, Doggart had reached out to militia groups in order to find someone who knew about “Explosive Ordinance Disposal”.
Doggart expressed the need to get their attack on Islamberg right, “You know, I don’t want to have to throw a gallon of gas in there and, you know, burn some kind of thing to light it up and hope it, you know, hope it burns down. We need to know it has to burn down.”
The criminal complaint suggests that Doggart was in communication with people across the country as he tried to plan the attack to burn down the village. His charges seem like only the beginning of a case that may span across the nation; intertwining fear of a federal government takeover, Islamophobia, and the militia movement.
The judge in this case is in the process of reviewing Doggart’s plea agreement. Doggart was released on bond to home confinement and is facing 0-5 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.
From Doggart’s plea agreement:
“The defendant spoke with numerous other individuals (in person and over his cellular telephone) regarding his plan to attack Islamberg. The defendant justified his attack on lslamberg by claiming that the residents of Islamberg were planning a terrorist attack. The defendant stated on cellular phone communications that he planned to burn three buildings at Islamberg: a mosque, a school, and a cafeteria. The defendant was fully aware of the religious character of the mosque when he identified it as one of the buildings that needed to be burned. Additionally, the defendant suggested on a cellular telephone call that he and his group would kill some residents of Islamberg in order to carry out the plan.”
Robert Doggart Criminal Complaint (via Tom Cleary on Scribd)
