A plot by three men who claimed to be part of a militia group to travel to the Texas-Mexico border and kill border patrol agents and migrants was foiled by the FBI, according to court documents. The men allegedly believed that the country was being invaded by migrants and wanted to “start a war” with the federal government.
The alleged plot and the arrests
The men — Bryan C. Perry, 38; Jonathan S. O’Dell, 33; and Paul Faye, 55 — were arrested by FBI agents and face various federal charges in connection to their alleged plot, which authorities say they started organizing in 2022 and planned to carry out in October 2023. The most recent arrest was of Faye of Tennessee on Monday. He faces a single charge of being in possession of an unregistered firearm silencer.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI said that Perry had “extensive contact “ with Faye before Faye was arrested. Faye “expressed a desire to travel with Perry and another individual” to the border and “commit acts of violence,” the complaint says.
Perry and O’Dell are also accused of attempting to kill seven federal agents. According to the criminal complaint, as the FBI attempted to serve a search warrant at O’Dell’s home in Missouri, Perry fired approximately 11 shots from a multicaliber rifle at FBI agents.
Perry of Tennessee and O’Dell of Missouri were arrested in late 2022 and were indicted last year by a grand jury on several charges including conspiracy to murder a federal officer, conspiracy to assault a federal officer, attempted murder of a federal officer and assault of a federal officer, according to superseding indictments filed last year in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
After their arrests, authorities found six firearms, over 20 magazines, roughly 1,770 rounds of ammunition and other equipment at O’Dell’s residence.
The motive and the message
According to the criminal complaint, Perry and O’Dell began talking as early as November 2021 about grievances they had with the federal government. The following year they attempted to recruit other members to their militia group to travel to Washington, D.C., “to stop the madness going on,” the complaint says. It also says that they shared maps of the Capitol and other governmental buildings.
One of the men also called and left a phone message to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office to alert him about their plans, saying: “If y’all cannot take care of this border and shut it down then we will be forced to come in and do it ourselves,” according to the criminal complaint. The complaint does not say when he left this message but that he summarized his message to a confidential FBI source on a recorded phone conversation on Oct. 3, 2022.
The men allegedly believed that the country was being invaded by migrants and that the border patrol was not doing enough to stop them. They also expressed anti-government and anti-immigrant sentiments, according to the complaint.
The reaction and the investigation
The FBI said that it received information about the plot from a confidential source who was in contact with Perry and O’Dell. The source recorded several phone calls and text messages with the men, in which they discussed their plans and preparations for the attack.
The FBI also conducted surveillance and obtained search warrants for the men’s phones, vehicles and residences. The FBI said that it found evidence of the plot, such as firearms, ammunition, maps, radios and tactical gear.
The FBI said that it acted swiftly to prevent the attack and protect the public. “The FBI’s highest priority is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan in a statement. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and disrupt any potential violence or threats to our communities.”
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The men are facing up to life in prison if convicted of the charges.
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