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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://minneapolis.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/rnc_firearmscharges090508.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Sept. 5, 2008

Two Texas Men Charged with Possessing Molotov Cocktails; Connected to Group Planning to Disrupt the RNC

Two men from Austin, Texas, allegedly connected to a group involved in planning to disrupt the Republican National Convention (RNC), were charged today in federal court with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails.

David Guy McKay, 22, and Bradley Neil Crowder, 23, were each charged Sept. 5 with one count of possession of firearms, namely Molotov cocktails, that were not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Both men remain in custody following their initial appearances today in Minneapolis, and have a preliminary hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in Minneapolis.

According to the criminal complaint, McKay and Crowder, each aiding and abetting the other, knowingly and intentionally possessed Molotov cocktails from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

McKay was arrested by the St. Paul Police Department during the execution of a search warrant on Sept. 3 at a residence on Dayton Street. Crowder was arrested on Sept. 1 for disorderly conduct. The search warrant at the Dayton Street residence specifically requested permission to search for “weapons or devices that may be used as weapons.”

According to a FBI affidavit, the FBI in Texas began investigating the group, labeled by law enforcement as the Austin Affinity Group, in February 2007. Crowder is listed as the group’s leader, and McKay has been identified as a group member.

According to the affidavit, in May 2008, Crowder allegedly attended a meeting in Minneapolis where numerous individuals from throughout the United States met to discuss preparations for protesting and disrupting the RNC. On Aug. 28, members of the Austin Affinity Group traveled from Austin, Texas, to Minnesota. The group brought a rental trailer with them that contained 35 shields, made from stolen traffic barrels. The shields were constructed with protruding screw heads so that they could be used as offensive weapons. St. Paul Police seized these shields on Aug. 31.

The affidavit states that McKay and Crowder purchased supplies for constructing Molotov cocktails at a St. Paul Wal-Mart on Aug. 31. Authorities found out that the supplies were being stored at a St. Paul apartment, and both men were observed entering and leaving the apartment by law enforcement surveillance officers.

Law enforcement also learned McKay and Crowder had manufactured eight Molotov cocktails and were storing them at the Dayton Street residence.

The affidavit states that on Sept. 1 McKay said he had a “falling out” with others in the group, and that he and some others were going to conduct “red actions” on Sept. 2.

During a conversation overheard by law enforcement through electronic surveillance on Sept. 2, McKay, the affidavit states, said that the Molotov cocktails that he and Crowder had manufactured would be thrown at vehicles parked in a parking lot near the Dayton Street apartment. The parking lot was used by law enforcement vehicles, and was visibly patrolled by the U.S. Secret Service and the military.

During the same conversation, while discussing the use of Molotov cocktails, McKay was heard saying that he could leave the scene with a police officer burning or dying, and that “it’s worth it if an officer gets burned or maimed.”

During the execution of a search warrant by the St. Paul Police Department at the Dayton Street residence where McKay was arrested, officers seized a variety of items, including gas masks, slingshots, helmets, knee pads and containers of a gasoline and oil mixture. Under the kitchen sink, officers discovered a two-gallon gasoline container that appeared to be the one purchased by McKay, Crowder and others at the Wal-Mart on Aug. 31. In a common area in the basement of the residence, officers found eight assembled Molotov cocktails.

If convicted, McKay and Crowder each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All sentences are determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the St. Paul Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.