Thread by @MikeAJensen

After last night’s hearing on J6, I once again spent my day trying to connect the dots between the extremist networks that were present at the Capitol and to situate them in the broader extremist landscape. Here’s a 🧵 about a connection that hasn't received much attention. 1/

In July of 2021, Fi Duong of Northern Virginia was arrested and charged misdemeanor crimes for entering the Capitol on J6. When Duong was arrested, he reportedly had several guns, including an AK-47, and dozens of Molotov cocktails in his possession. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… 2/

Duong’s story generated considerable attention because it was a rare case of the FBI using an undercover agent in a J6 investigation and because of Duong’s claims that he was part of an unknown militia that hid its activities behind the guise of being a “Bible study” group. 3/

Little is known about this unnamed militia that operated in DC and Northern Virginia. News reports don’t provide any details and Duong’s court records don’t name any other members. However, if we dig into the court dockets, there are dots that can be connected. 4/

On the same day that Duong was arrested for his participation in the events of J6, another DC-Virginia area man, Adam MacLaury, was arrested for attempting to purchase a rifle from an undercover FBI agent. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… 5/

What does MacLaury’s arrest have to do with Duong? A side-by-side comparison of Duong and MacLaury’s criminal complaints strongly suggests that MacLaury was a member of Duong’s militia. 6/

The dates and locations of the militia’s meetings are identical in the two documents and the language (including typos) used in each complaint to describe the militia and its activities is verbatim. 7/

Both refer to the group as a “loosely affiliated, unnamed group of like-minded individuals” that “can’t be out in the open” and that must be “a little more cloak and dagger.” 8/

Both described the group’s members as “freedom loving, liberty minded, pro 2A type of folks.” 9/

And both mention the militia’s goal of finding “guys local to this area, guys that we can, kind of, exchange information, build a more robust network.” 10/

Duong appears to be “ASSOCIATE 1” in MacLaury’s complaint. Why does this connection matter? 11/

First, from MacLaury’s complaint we learn that his arrest for attempting buy a firearm from an undercover agent occurred in the larger context of the group discussing the idea of attacking federal law enforcement officers AFTER J6. 12/

The group allegedly participated in surveillance of the Capitol building after the riot, looking for weaknesses in the newly installed fencing that could be breached. The group also allegedly discussed building chemical weapons. 13/

Second, MacLaury's extremist connections appear to go beyond his Northern Virginia militia. MacLaury told the UCE that he was in touch with the Proud Boys and that he acted as a chauffeur on J6, escorting several members of the group from the airport to the Capitol. 14/

MacLaury reportedly told the undercover agent that he strongly considered joining the Proud Boys and noted that he had a copy of their charter and found it “hard to disagree with.” 15/

Both complaints indicate that the militia may have had connections to members of the State of Appalachia--a secessionist group that wants to separate parts of Virginia and West Virginia from the United States. 16/

Duong and MacLaury’s militia reportedly modeled itself after The State of Appalachia, which has connections to the Boogaloo movement (e.g., the group’s members once included the Boogaloo martyr, Duncan Lemp). 17/

MacLaury pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in November 2021 and is awaiting sentencing. 18/

This case illustrates that there is still a lot to learn about the extremist connections that were present at the Capitol on J6 and the potential dangers that those networks continue to pose. 19/

I hope that we’ll learn more about these dynamics in the upcoming J6 hearings. END/