Back in October 2016, like a harbinger of the white domestic terrorism to come, three men were arrested and charged in planning an attack on a Muslim Somali community in Kansas. The three men were a part of a militia group that called themselves “The Crusaders.” The attacks were planned to take place shortly after the November Election Day, and focused on a mosque in a housing complex. On Friday, Patrick Eugene Stein, Curtis Allen, and Gavin Wright were sentenced to at least 25 years in federal prison.
“The Department of Justice works every day to thwart terrorist threats to the United States," said Acting Attorney General Whitaker. "The defendants in this case acted with clear premeditation in an attempt to kill innocent people on the basis of their religion and national origin. That's not just illegal—it's morally repugnant. Today's sentence is a significant victory against hate crimes and domestic terrorism, and I want to thank everyone who helped bring the defendants to justice—the dedicated professionals with the FBI, the United States Attorney's Office in Kansas, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and our state and local law enforcement partners. Law enforcement saved lives in this case."
According to CNN, the three men were convicted in April, after a five-week trial with pretty damning evidencemincluding numerous taped conversations between undercover FBI agents, as well as inside “sources,” conducted over eight months. The Wichita Eagle reports that Stein—considered the “ringleader”—received the longest sentence of 30 years, while Allen and Write received 25 and 26 years, respectively. Stein’s attorney tried to argue that Donald Trump’s xenophobic, anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric in the run-up to Election Day was a mitigating factor and should be considered in his client’s sentencing.
Patrick Eugene Stein and Curtis Allen were from Kansas and Gavin Wright came from Oklahoma. According to KWCH12 in Kansas, Allen was a military veteran who served in Iraq, and his brother told the outlet that he suffered from PTSD and received disability benefits.