The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that ‘Boogaloo Bois’ members Michael Robert Solomon and Benjamin Ryan Teeter conspired to provide material support to Hamas, a U.S. State Department designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The ‘Boogaloo Bois‘ is a loosely organized movement that aspires to bring about a second civil war by adopting an anti-U.S. government stance. The group gained prominence when heavily armed members of the movement began to attend protests that emerged in the wake of the May 25 killing of George Floyd.
In May 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation after a witness who interacted with the pair alleged Solomon carried firearms openly in a Minneapolis neighborhood. The witness stated Solomon and Teeter were in possession of a large quantity of firearms and discussed committing acts of violence against police officers to advance the efforts of the ‘Boogaloo Bois’ movement.
In June, the FBI received information from a confidential source who Solomon and Teeter believed was a member of Hamas. In audio recordings, the pair conveyed their support for Hamas’ anti-U.S. government view – which closely aligned with the view of their own movement.
According to the DOJ publication, the pair communicated the idea of becoming “mercenaries” for Hamas as a way to raise funds for the ‘Booga Bois’ movement, which included funding for recruitment and the purchase of land for a training compound.
After the DOJ publication, Hamas issued a press release denying links to the ‘Boogaloo Bois’ movement.
“Hamas condemns the U.S. administration’s attempt to link the movement with the “Boogaloo Bois” group, which the movement denies knowledge of, or any of its members,” the Hamas statement read.
It’s unlikely Hamas or it’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, had much of anything to do with the ‘Boogaloo Bois’ movement. However, it is undoubtedly cause for concern that homegrown extremist movements will attempt to link itself with Islamic militant groups in an attempt to carry out an attack against American citizens and government institutions.
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