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F.B.I. Says White Supremacist Plotted to Blow Up Colorado Synagogue F.B.I. Says White Supremacist Plotted to Blow Up Colorado Synagogue
(about 1 hour later)
DENVER — Federal authorities in Colorado have arrested a man they said was known to promote white supremacy, accusing him of taking part in a plot to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, a city two hours south of Denver, according to federal court documents.DENVER — Federal authorities in Colorado have arrested a man they said was known to promote white supremacy, accusing him of taking part in a plot to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, a city two hours south of Denver, according to federal court documents.
The man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, writing in July in a private message, for example, that he was “getting ready to cap people,” the documents said.The man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, writing in July in a private message, for example, that he was “getting ready to cap people,” the documents said.
The message included a picture of him dressed in clothing displaying white supremacy symbols while aiming a long gun. The message included a picture of him aiming a long gun while dressed in clothing displaying white supremacy symbols. He told another Facebook user, “I wish the Holocaust really did happen” and, speaking of Jews, “they need to die.”
Mr. Holzer was arrested after he was contacted by an undercover F.B.I. agent in September. He told the agent he was formerly a member of the KKK and now identified as a skinhead. Mr. Holzer was arrested on Saturday after he was contacted by an undercover F.B.I. agent in September. Speaking over Facebook Messenger, he told the agent he was formerly a member of the K.K.K. and now identified as a skinhead.
In October, according to the court filing, Mr. Holzer told the F.B.I. agent that he was going to scope the synagogue, called Temple Emanuel, and he sent the agent a video from outside. He then told the agent his plan was to poison members of the synagogue on Oct. 31, possibly with arsenic. He invited the agent to join him.
Later, Mr. Holzer and a friend identified in the documents as Skeeter met with three undercover F.B.I. agents, with whom he began to discuss alternate plots, including a plan to build Molotov cocktails and weld the temple doors shut. Mr. Holzer stated that he wanted to “vandalize the place beyond repair,” the documents said. He then visited the synagogue with the agents, where Mr. Holzer assessed that the Molotov cocktails would not be enough.
The agents “offered to supply” pipe bombs, according to the documents. Several days later, Mr. Holzer met the agents to pick up the bombs, which were inert, according to officials. Authorities arrested him shortly after, and he admitted that he had been planning to blow up a synagogue that night.
Officials said he referred to the plan as “my mountain” and to Jews and the synagogue as a “cancer” to the community.
The arrest comes a year after a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead, pushing synagogues across the nation to heighten security and issue security warnings ahead of services.The arrest comes a year after a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead, pushing synagogues across the nation to heighten security and issue security warnings ahead of services.
The Colorado synagogue, Temple Emanuel, serves a small congregation in a part of Colorado that is sometimes called the gateway to the Southwest. Many families in the area claim Hispanic heritage and trace their roots in the region to the years before Colorado became a state, in 1876. The temple was built in 1900. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Colorado, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Colorado synagogue serves a small congregation in a part of the state that is sometimes called the gateway to the Southwest. Many families in the area claim Hispanic heritage and trace their roots in the region to the years before Colorado became a state, in 1876. The temple was built in 1900. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Colorado, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pueblo, with a population of about 112,000, has been home to a Jewish community since at least 1870, when the census listed 12 Jewish families, according to the local newspaper, The Chieftain. The community quadrupled in size over the next 25 years.
In a brief telephone interview, Rabbi Roberta Becker said she was “just finding out” about the plot.
Alain Delaquérière contributed research.Alain Delaquérière contributed research.