White Nationalist Coast Guard Officer Won’t Face Terrorism Charges

U.S. Coast Guard Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis April 19, 2019

The Coast Guard officer who federal prosecutors accuse of amassing a stockpile of weapons and compiling a hit list of Democrats and media figures, and who prosecutors say is a white nationalist, is asking to be released from prison in advance of his trial because he has been charged with no terrorism-related crimes.

The officer, Christopher Hasson, is a white nationalist who revered the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, prosecutors say. But so far, they have only charged him with firearms and drug offenses.

In a court filing this week, Hasson’s attorney said that prosecutors revealed in a status conference that they intend to file no further chargers, the Associated Press reported.

“No other crimes have been charged,” the attorney wrote, according to the A.P. “Moreover, during a recent status call, government counsel advised the Court and defense counsel that it does not expect to file a superseding indictment in this matter.”

Hasson’s arrest on February 15 came amidst growing concern over the rise of white supremacist violence. Court filings called Hasson a “domestic terrorist,” and described his white nationalist views. He pled not guilty to weapon and drug charges.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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