Hillary Clinton, Kansas congressmen express shock at Garden City bomb plot

Federal politicians inside and outside Kansas expressed shock and disbelief Saturday after the Federal Bureau of Investigation said an eight-month-long investigation into a southwest Kansas militia uncovered “a hidden culture of hatred and violence,” including a bomb plot against Somalis.

Curtis Allen and Gavin Wright, both of Liberal, and Patrick Eugene Stein, of Wright, have been charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. The suspects are accused of planning to detonate four car bombs at the corners of an apartment complex in Garden City that also contains a mosque.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called the plot “highly disturbing” in a statement to reporters Saturday.

“This plot is an affront to all Americans,” Clinton said. “We all must stand firm in fighting terror and rejecting hateful and divisive rhetoric — and we must do it together.”

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican, said on Twitter Friday night that he was shocked to learn of the alleged plot.

“My gratitude to our law enforcement officials who prevented the loss of innocent life,” the senator wrote.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, a Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee, said, “Everyone in our state, and in the country, owes much to the men and women of the FBI and police who protect us from threats both foreign and domestic.”

The Crusaders, a militia group the three suspects are accused of belonging to, has been under FBI surveillance since February. During that time, the three are accused of conducting surveillance on prospective targets, building bombs and amassing guns and ammunition.

In a meeting this May, according to federal prosecutors, Allen recommended the group make signs with phrases such as: “I support illegal immigration” and “I go against the Constitution on a daily basis.” The group would then place the signs around the necks of Muslims they killed, according to a criminal complaint.

The criminal complaint is rife with racial and religious slurs, expletives and violent rhetoric the three suspects are accused of using when referring to Somalis. On several occasions, Stein yelled racial slurs and expletives at Somali women as he drove around with an FBI informant, prosecutors said.

In June, prosecutors say Stein decided something needed to be done in response to a nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. That same month, the three considered targeting churches in Garden City that have supported refugees, according to the criminal complaint.

By July, the group allegedly began mulling their options for an attack, including murder, rape and arson. During a meeting, Stein is accused of saying, “The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim” and “If you’re a Muslim, I’m going to enjoy shooting you in the head.” He allegedly told the others that he would kill every Muslim he saw during the attack, including a 1-year-old child.

By the time of the arrests, Allen had obtained many of the items needed for constructing bombs, including a detonator, according to the criminal complaint. Inside his home, FBI agents and Liberal police seized nearly a metric ton of ammunition.

“We must remain vigilant against attacks directed toward any American and condemn this type of violence,” Pompeo said. “Threats like this remind us of the critical need to provide our law enforcement and intelligence officials with the tools and support they need to keep us safe.”

Clinton said she would do so as president.

“We should all be grateful to law enforcement for preventing this plot from being carried out, and as president, I will work with law enforcement at all levels and with our communities to make sure we have the tools we need to prevent both domestic and international terrorist threats,” she said.