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Garden City Bombing Plot Suspects Face Firearm Charges

SEDGWICK COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein, along with Gavin Wright, were each charged with conspiring to detonate a homemade explosive at an apartment complex where Muslim immigrants from Somalia live.

Two of the three men accused of plotting to bomb a Garden City apartment complex where many Somali immigrants live will also face firearms charges. The indictment was filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

The previous indictment charged Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Allen and Stein on Thursday each received an additional charge for the illegal possession of firearms. The charge against Allen was for a prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence. Stein was charged with two counts of alleged gun violations in connection with the bomb conspiracy.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the weapons. The AP says attorneys for Allen and Stein did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Defense attorney Kari Schmidt, who represents Wright, did not address the conspiracy charge but said in an email to the AP that there is no evidence her client engaged in any unlawful conduct involving guns and ammunition.

Federal prosecutors allege the three men were part of a militia group called The Crusaders. The apartment building, which also contained a mosque, was targeted for the day after the Nov. 8 general election.

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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.

 
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

 

Carla Eckels is Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW. She produces and hosts the R&B and gospel show Soulsations and brings stories of race and culture to The Range with the monthly segment In the Mix. Carla was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in broadcast/journalism.
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