Attorney general, former congresswoman, federal judges were alleged targets of Georgia terrorists

By Katie Leslie and Craig Schneider

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The assassination of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney was part of the terrorist plot hatched by four North Georgia men, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in a bond hearing for the accused.

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Richard Miller From left, Frederick Thomas, his attorney Jeffrey Ertl, attorney Michael Trost, Dan Roberts, Samuel Crump and an unidentified attorney attend a bond hearing for four North Georgia men accused of planning terrorist acts at the U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

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Richard Miller There was nearly two hours of testimony regarding where Frederick W. Thomas, left, should be granted bond. At right, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cole hears Thomas’ wife, Charlotte, testify about his frail health.

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The four men accused of planning to bomb federal buildings, disperse the toxin ricin in major U.S. cities, and assassinate federal judges and prosecutors pleaded not guilty at the hearing in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

The alleged leader, Frederick W. Thomas, 73, of Cleveland, and Dan Roberts, 67, of Toccoa, are charged with conspiring to buy explosives and possessing an unregistered silencer. Toccoa men Samuel J. Crump, 68, and Ray H. Adams, 55, face charges of conspiring to make and disperse ricin, according to the federal indictment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney said law enforcement officers seized 52 weapons and 30,000 rounds of ammunition from Thomas’ home. The weapons included assault rifles, shotguns, pistols with extended magazines and revolvers, and "sniper round" bullets and “sub-sonic” ammunition designed to be used with silencers, he said. McBurney did not say where the guns and ammunition were kept in the home.

But defense attorney Jeff Ertel countered that Thomas is an avid gun collector and hunter. He said all of the weapons were legally owned, a point McBurney conceded. Ertel said his client has 30 years of Naval service, is loyal to his country, and is not a threat.

“It’s not an arsenal put together to assassinate people. It’s a gun collection he had,” said Ertel, who called Thomas’ son, Paul Thomas, to testify about their father and son hunting trips.

McBurney noted that Thomas’ arsenal included weapons used in military activities, not designed for hunting.

“You don’t hunt with a bomb,” McBurney said. “You don’t put a silencer on a gun to shoot a deer.”

After hearing nearly two hours of testimony regarding whether Thomas should be granted bond, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cole adjourned the proceeding without making a decision or hearing about the other defendants.

Testimony for the remaining defendants will be heard Tuesday. The hearing will decide whether the men will remain in jail until they are tried. Testimony for Crump and Adams will focus more on the accusation that the group planned to manufacture ricin as a weapon of mass destruction. The men hoped to spur a revolution that would restore, in their eyes, a more Constitutional government, according to federal affidavits.

Ertel called Thomas’ wife, Charlotte, to testify about his frail health, which includes emphysema, diabetes, degenerative spine disease and shoulder problems, she said.

Charlotte Thomas said her husband is unable to hang a picture on a wall. At times during the proceeding, Thomas appeared to have labored breathing and puffed on an inhaler. His wife also delivered his hearing aids to him.

Charlotte Thomas said she’s never heard her husband talk about hurting anyone.

“He loves his country,” she said. “He’s the most patriotic man I’ve ever met.”

Ertel also raised questions about the confidential informant who recorded the group's conservations for the FBI. He said the informant was charged with child molestation in South Carolina shortly before he began recording the group’s meetings.

McBurney told Judge Cole that the men’s age should not be considered in the decision to grant bond. He also said this is not a case of men just talking fantasy, but rather they had taken actions to realize their plan of destruction. Those steps included casing federal buildings in Atlanta, stock-piling weapons and purchasing the illegal silencer and what the men thought were explosives from an undercover federal agent.

It was the final step that resulted in Thomas’ arrest, he said.

“Age is not a barrier to the crimes these defendants are charged with,” McBurney said. “He can pull a trigger as well as you and I can.”