Posted on 08/14/2017 3:46:23 PM PDT by Bratch
A 23-year-old man who said he hated the U.S. government has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly trying to blow up an Oklahoma City bank with what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb in a truck.
According to a criminal complaint, Jerry Drake Varnell wanted to start a militia group and admired Timothy McVeigh, the domestic terrorist who was convicted and executed for setting off a massive truck bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995.
Varnell thought he was dealing with two fellow sympathizers in the anti-government movement but they were a confidential informant and an undercover FBI agent working in a sting operation, according to the complaint.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Jerry Drake Varnell, 23, of Sayre, Oklahoma, was arrested early Saturday morning in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb at BancFirst, 101 N. Broadway, in downtown Oklahoma City, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Oklahoma yesterday, the FBI arrested Varnell at approximately 1:00 am on August 12, 2017, after he attempted to detonate what he believed to be an explosives-laden van he had parked in an alley next to BancFirst. The complaint alleges that Varnell initially wanted to blow up the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., with a device similar to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing because he was upset with the government.
The complaint explains that after Varnell’s intentions came to the attention of law enforcement, an undercover FBI agent posed as a person who could assist him. According to the complaint, Varnell took a series of actions to advance his plot. He identified BancFirst as the target, prepared a statement to be posted on social media after the explosion, helped assemble the device, helped load it into what he believed was a stolen van, drove the van by himself from El Reno to BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City, and dialed a number on a cellular telephone that he believed would trigger the explosion.
Varnell is charged with attempting to use explosives to destroy a building in interstate commerce. If convicted, he would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Oklahoma City today at 3:00 pm.
This arrest is the culmination of a long-term domestic terrorism investigation involving an undercover operation, during which Varnell had been monitored closely for months as the alleged bomb plot developed. The device was actually inert, and the public was not in danger. "There was never a concern that our community’s safety or security was at risk during this investigation," said Kathryn Peterson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oklahoma. "I can assure the public, without hesitation, that we had Varnell’s actions monitored every step of the way."
U.S. Attorney Yancey said: "I commend the devoted work of the FBI and our state law enforcement partners in ensuring that violent plots of this kind never succeed."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, including members from the Oklahoma City FBI; Homeland Security Investigations, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Oklahoma City Police Department; the Edmond Police Department; the Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs; and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The FBI worked in conjunction with BancFirst during the investigation. Oklahoma District Attorney Angela Marsee, of District 2, also provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Dillon, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section.
Reference is made to court records for further information. The public is reminded that this complaint is only an allegation and that Varnell is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Especially when they’re being egged on by the FBI.
23 and lives with mommy and daddy.
He looks like a simpleton, maybe autistic, who was talked into it by the Feds. I wonder what this guy would have done if he had been left alone? Probably nothing.
You hate the government so you are going to blow up a bank?
Not the brightest bulb on the string of Christmas tree lights.
The FBI acts as a helper and eggs the guy on...really
The FBI guy becomes his buddy..
Sounds like a Ruby Ridge... get him even if he a goof ball
>>The FBI acts as a helper and eggs the guy on...really
The FBI guy becomes his buddy..
Sounds like a Ruby Ridge... get him even if he a goof ball
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“Just another day at the office” for them.
He heard that it was FDIC insured and just connected the dots.
FBI does the same thing with islamic terror recruits - these guys are uniformly not that bright, but if the FBI can get them to do this, so can actual extremist organizations.
Ahhhhhh.....
He was a dot connector.
Yep. They’re everywhere!
Should have been the faculty lounge at Berkeley. Not a business building in Oklahoma.
Old trick. Get some moron to commit a crime that can be used for political purposes. The FBI was founded on this. It didn’t work too well at Ruby Ridge.
Yup
Why do you say that ?
The FBI and Lon Huriuchi were exonerated from any charges. The FBI is still a major FACTOR in protecting the DC establishment.
Can you name one negative thing that happened to the FBI because of Ruby Ridge ?
We learned that if more than two people are involved, at least one of them is a government agent.
“Especially when they’re being egged on by the FBI.”
Give it a while and more will come out.
The only reason it did not work the lawyer for Randy Weaver got Jerry Spence involved...
they went to trial
90 percent of DOJ cases never go trial
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