Two self-proclaimed members of the anti-government, right-wing extremist group Boogaloo Bois were charged Friday with providing support to Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization.
Michael Robert Solomon, 30, of New Brighton, North Carolina, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, of Hampstead, North Carolina are each charged with one count of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
The pair were arrested Thursday and a detention hearing is set for next Wednesday.
The two men are members of the Boogaloo Bois and a sub-group that operates as the Boojahideen. The groups have a violent anti-government philosophy.
Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis say the pair sought to exploit the violence in that city following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died while in the custody of the police.
The two men were seen in the Minneapolis area after Mr. Floyd’s death, prosecutors said. Mr. Solomon was spotted carrying a firearm in a residential neighborhood, according to court documents.
A witness told authorities the two men discussed committing violence against police officers and others to advance their violent agenda of overthrowing the government, the criminal complaint said.
In early June, a confidential informant told the FBI the two men expressed a desire to work as “mercenaries” for Hamas to generate money for the Boogaloo Bois and Boojahideen movement, according to court records.
Hamas also has anti-U.S. government views.
The two men also told the informant and another person they believed to be a member of Hamas that they wanted to destroy government monuments, target politicians and members of the media, and raid the headquarters of a white supremacist organization.
The pair also claimed to have the ability to manufacture unmarked parts for guns and create untraceable weapons, the complaint said. Only July 30, they delivered five gun suppressors to the informant whom they believed to be a member of Hamas.
Mr. Solomon and Mr. Teeter believed the suppressors would be used by Hamas to attack Israeli and U.S. soldiers, prosecutors said. They also vowed to manufacture more suppressors and other weapons for Hamas.
“This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ’The enemy of your enemy is your friend,’” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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