By Trend News Line 2024-06-12 12:21:36.
# Man Arrested for Planning Mass Shooting in Atlanta
An Arizona man, Mark Adams Prieto, was arrested in May for planning a mass shooting in Atlanta targeting African Americans in the city to incite a race war. Prieto is accused of selling rifles to people to provide weapons to begin a race war ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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## Investigation and Arrest
Prieto was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury, following a months-long investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and his arrest in mid-May. An affidavit submitted in court by members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Phoenix, Ariz. detailed how the investigation into Prieto began in October 2023.
## Planning a Race War
According to the affidavit, a reliable source reported that Prieto “expressed a desire to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election.” The source told FBI agents that they’d spoken to Prieto at various gun shows over three years, eventually including political conversation.
During the past year, Prieto’s comments became “suspicious and alarming,” according to the affidavit, “including advocating for a mass shooting, and specifically targeting ‘Blacks, Jews or Muslims.’”
## Selling Firearms and Avoiding Authorities
The investigation by federal agents found that Prieto worked as a gun show vendor in Prescott, Ariz., where he sold numerous firearms from his personal collection. The source told the FBI that Prieto also likes to conduct trades “off book” through cash or trade to “avoid possible issues or interactions with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.”
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## Detailed Plans for Attack
While under surveillance in February, the FBI saw Prieto go to a gun show in Phoenix, Ariz. While there, he was seen going into the gun show with two rifles and walking to the confidential source’s vendor booth. When he got to the booth, he “immediately” asked if the source and the undercover agent were still planning to participate in his attack, the affidavit says.
## Arrest and Charges
Now indicted, Prieto faces charges for firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm. Justice officials said each conviction for trafficking firearms and transfer of firearms for a hate crime carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
## Conclusion
A trial date for Prieto has not been set yet. This shocking incident serves as a reminder of the potential dangers of extremism and violence in our society. It is crucial for law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant and proactive in preventing such heinous acts from occurring..
Arizona man facing federal charges for planning mass shooting in Atlanta
Arizona man planning mass shooting in Atlanta wanted to start ‘race war’.
