Connor Stevens, Doug Wright and Brandon Baxter -- three men with ties to Occupy Cleveland who were arrested in the spring for plotting to blow up a bridge -- entered guilty pleas on Wednesday afternoon. A fourth man pleaded guilty
September 7, 2012

cleveland5.jpg

Connor Stevens, Doug Wright and Brandon Baxter -- three men with ties to Occupy Cleveland who were arrested in the spring for plotting to blow up a bridge -- entered guilty pleas on Wednesday afternoon. A fourth man pleaded guilty earlier this year, while a fifth suspect is undergoing a competency evaluation. All three pled guilty to "conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce," according to the DOJ.

“The defendants today made a voluntary choice to plead guilty, the same way they made voluntary choices to try to detonate what they thought were explosive devices they had planted at the foot of a bridge," Steven Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said in a statement.

“We are pleased these defendants have admitted to their intent to utilize violence, which threatened innocent citizens, to further their ideological views,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony.

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon