BREAKING: The FBI has now charged an 18-year-old Texas National Guard member in the Beth Israel synagogue fire in Austin. An unsealed criminal complaint includes racist and anti-Semitic entries from his personal journal. Franklin Sechriest already was facing state charges. (1/3)
Agents also said they found stickers in his Jeep that said: “They hate your culture…They hate your religion…They hate your children. It’s OK to hate them back.” The document said that soon before the Oct. 31 fire, he wrote in his journal “Scout out a target.” (2/3)
Officials make no mention in the complaint that they believe he is part of a larger group but are still investigating. The fire came after a series of anti-Semitic events in Austin in recent weeks. Sechriest was transferred into federal custody this morning.
As a point of clarification, Sechriest is a member of the Texas State Guard, which is deployed statewide, not the Texas National Guard.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Tony Plohetski

Tony Plohetski Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @tplohetski

14 Nov
NEW: Hundreds of people participating in the #atxkind “Rally for Kindness” after a series of recent racist and anti-Semitic events in Austin.
“None of us is safe unless all of us is safe,” @RepLloydDoggett said. “This is a community that welcomes every family.”
“It is time now to speak out,” @ALTERforATX said. “Those who are silent are complicit in this hate.”
Read 4 tweets
2 Dec 20
EXCLUSIVE: Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the public to "stay home if you can...this is not the time to relax" in a Nov. 9 Facebook video. He did not disclose that he was at a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas after flying on a private jet with eight family members and guests. Image
The Mexico trip with family came the day after Adler hosted a small wedding for his daughter at a trendy South Congress Hotel with 20 attendees. Adler says he consulted with health authorities prior and that guests had to undergo COVID-19 testing and practice social distancing.
Adler did not violate his own order or those by Gov. Greg Abbott. However, city hall insiders have begun quietly discussing Adler's personal activities. Adler has been a constant voice during the COVID-19 pandemic, urging residents to take precautions. Here is his statement: Image
Read 4 tweets
3 Oct 20
BREAKING: Seven top aides, including his first assistant, have asked federal authorities to investigate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for multiple crimes that include bribery and abuse of office, according to a letter obtained today by @statesman and @KVUE. Image
The request is a stunning development in an agency that prizes loyalty to Paxton, a Republican who is already under indictment on state securities fraud charges. The letter does not specify the allegations or described Paxton's alleged conduct.
Paxton's office said in a statement that the complaint "was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office...Making false claims is a very serious matter."
Read 5 tweets
28 Sep 20
NOW: DAs Shawn Dick and Margaret Moore starting their press conference on indictments of Sheriff Robert Chody and another county official. Image
Dick says he was bound by law to take issue to grand jury; He says jurors heard from 19 witnesses.
Offenses carry up to 10 years behind bars. Nov. 30 is first court date for Nassour and Chody. Dick says witnesses “need to be left alone.”
Read 8 tweets
17 Sep 20
EXCLUSIVE: Former Williamson County sheriff’s deputies say the agency rewarded “good” uses of force with steakhouse gift cards, and one revealed to Texas Rangers that deputies in the death of #JavierAmbler received them.
The former deputy, Chris Pisa, did not link Ambler’s case to the cards, according to audio we obtained. But he said the department expected deputies to be “Wilco Badass.” Pisa is also under investigation for a 2019 force case.
Here is my report via @statesman in which Sheriff Robert Chody says he was not familiar with the alleged practice: google.com/amp/s/www.stat…
Read 4 tweets
11 Sep 20
EXCLUSIVE: A Williamson County grand jury is considering evidence tampering charges against Sheriff Robert Chody, crews from "Live PD" and anyone else possibly involved in the destruction of video in the death of #JavierAmbler. Multiple deputies confirm being called to testify.
Chody has hired prominent Austin defense attorney Gerry Morris to represent him. Morris had no comment. Experts say possible charges include evidence tampering and that prosecutors must prove that whoever destroyed the video knew it was needed for an investigation.
Williamson DA Shawn Dick said in a statement: "We continue to pursue justice in the matter of the death of Javier Ambler...as we look into the possible tampering with evidence by personnel from Williamson County agencies who have had contact or communication with the TV show."
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(