By: Aryeh Savir
Two members of the extreme-right “Boogaloo Bois” were charged with attempting to provide material support to the Hamas terror organization, the US Justice Department announced Friday.
Michael Robert Solomon, 30, of New Brighton, Minnesota, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, of Hampstead, North Carolina, were charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to Hamas, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Solomon and Teeter were arrested on Thursday and were ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
“This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend,’” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers for the National Security Division.
The complaint says the defendants sought to use violence against the police, other government officials and government property as part of their desire to overthrow the US government.
While planning these activities, the defendants met individuals whom they believed to be Hamas members. Thinking that they shared the same desire to harm the US, they sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories, to Hamas.
“No matter what witch’s brew of ideological motivations inspire those who seek to engage in terrorist activity and harm our country and our fellow citizens, the National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding them accountable,” Demers stated.
Solomon and Teeter have proclaimed themselves to be members of the far-right Boogaloo Bois, a group that espouses a violent ideology and an objective to overthrow the government.
The term “Boogaloo” itself references a supposedly impending second civil war in the US and is associated with violent uprisings against the government.
“The defendants believed their anti-US government views aligned with those of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, and actively developed plans to carry out violence in Minnesota and elsewhere,” said US Attorney Erica MacDonald.
According to the criminal complaint, the defendants were also willing to work with Hamas to get money for potential acts of violence in the US.
the complaint further describes how in late May of 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation into Solomon and Teeter, two members of the “Boogaloo Bois,” and a sub-group called the “Boojahideen.”
According to the allegations, during the civil unrest in the Twin Cities following the death of George Floyd, according to a witness, Solomon was openly carrying firearms in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis. Solomon and Teeter interacted with the witness over the course of several days.
The witness told FBI agents that Solomon and Teeter possessed firearms and substantial quantities of ammunition and that Solomon, Teeter, and other members of the Boogaloo Bois and Boojahideen discussed committing acts of violence against police officers and other targets in furtherance of the Boojahideen’s stated goal of overthrowing the government and replacing its police forces.
In early June, the FBI received information about Solomon, Teeter, and other members of the Boogaloo Bois through a confidential human source whom the defendants believed to be a member of Hamas.
In audio-recorded conversations, Solomon and Teeter expressed that Hamas shares anti-US government views that align with their own views. Solomon and Teeter also expressed their desire to employ themselves as “mercenaries” for Hamas to generate cash for the Boogaloo Bois, including funding for recruitment and purchasing land for a training compound.
Solomon and Teeter shared with the CHS, and another individual whom they believed to be a more senior member of Hamas and who was actually an undercover employee of the FBI, their ideas about destroying government monuments, raiding the headquarters of a white supremacist organization in North Carolina, and targeting politicians and members of the media.
(TPS)
