The shocking detention memo federal prosecutors filed Tuesday in the case of a Coast Guard officer facing gun and drug charges contains some surprising and frightening facts.
Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Hasson was arrested last Friday, but the case took an odd turn after prosecutors filed the memo arguing the 49-year-old Silver Spring, Md., resident should remain in custody.
The following 10 disturbing facts and statements included in the memo are part of the allegations against Hasson.
1. Federal prosecutors described him as “a domestic terrorist, bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct.”
2. Hasson spent five years in the Marine Corps starting in 1988, then did a two-year stint in the Army National Guard. He was assigned to the Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016.
3. He claimed to be a longstanding white nationalist, including being a skinhead before joining the military.
4. Right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, the mastermind behind two terrorist attacks in Norway that took the lives of 77 people, was a particular inspiration, as Hasson “routinely perused portions” of his manifesto that talk about getting firearms, food, disguises, and survival supplies before an attack. Hasson also created lists of targets along the lines of Breivik’s manifesto,
5. In one of his writings found by prosecutors, Hasson said, “I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth. I think a plague would be most successful but how do I acquire the needed/ Spanish flu, botulism, anthrax not sure yet but will find something.” He also wrote about starting with a biological attack and then attacking the food supply.
6. He visited websites selling firearms and tactical gear thousands of times and acquired guns, firearms, equipment, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. He also researched U.S. military technical manuals on improvised munitions and tactical handbooks.
7. Law enforcement found a spreadsheet with 22 entries, mostly of Democratic politicians and elected officials, that Hasson developed on his work computer. The list included: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York; Sens. Tim Kaine, of Virginia; Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts; Cory Booker, of New Jersey; Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut; Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York; Kamala Harris, of California; Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York; Maxine Waters, of California; Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota; Sheila Jackson Lee, of Texas; former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, of Texas; MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Ari Melber, and Joe Scarborough; CNN’s Don Lemon and Van Jones; and John Podesta, former campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton.
8. Hasson’s Internet search queries included: “most liberal senators”; “where do most senators live in dc”; “do senators have ss [secret service] protection”; “are supreme court justices protected”; “what if trump illegally impeached”; “best place in dc to see congress people”; “where in dc to congress live”; and “civil war if trump impeached”
9. As part of his Internet searches for where to find people on his list, Hasson found Scarborough’s former home, then spent 35 seconds zooming in and out on the location.
10. Hasson kept supplies for beating a drug test at work, including synthetic urine, a kit that included heating pads, and a vinyl bag on an elastic belt that included a temperature strip, that he also bought online.
