Sheriff's department uncovers Nazi extremists' secret arsenal in quiet Washington suburb
CONTENT WARNING– This article contains material that some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised.
Two white supremacist extremists and their cache of guns and Nazi paraphernalia were discovered in a suburban Washington state home.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders announced the coordinated operation along with the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), discovering "military-grade weaponry and armor" in the City of Lacey, near the state capital of Olympia.
Sanders announced the discovery in a Facebook post and said that the CID asked his office for assistance Monday as an FBI special weapons and tactics team executed a search warrant "as a result of a violent robbery and theft of military weaponry/armor."
Sanders' statement said two people were arrested and booked into Thurston County Jail for investigation of firearms-related offenses. Their names have not been released, pending federal charges, the department said.
"Despite requests to set bail at only $5,000, Superior Court granted the Prosecutor's request and set bail at $500,000 each," Sanders said.
The pair compiled a stash of short barrel rifles, an MG42 machine gun, grenade launchers, explosives, body armor, ammunition, and ballistic helmets, the department said.
Multiple rifles were also staged at windows throughout the residence, the department said. Photos of the stockpile captured the 35 firearms distributed throughout the Washington state home.
Along with the store of firearms, authorities discovered Nazi paraphernalia throughout the home. Photos captured a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika, pro-Nazism literature and artwork depicting Adolf Hitler.
"The suspects identified in this case were actively involved in Nazi White Nationalist efforts," the sheriff said.
Additional information is expected to be included in a federal criminal complaint to be unsealed Wednesday. The two people arrested were expected to make initial appearances at U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office-Western District of Washington and the Thurston County Sheriff's Department for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cass County officers called woman ‘meemaw,' made fun of age, lawsuit claims
A Missouri woman is suing Cass County after she was fired from the Sheriff's Office, where she allegedly endured harassment and discrimination from male coworkers, according to a Cass County court document. Melissa Manford is suing on counts of discrimination based on sex/gender, age, disability, hostile work environment and two counts of retaliation, according to court documents. Manford is also suing based on a violation of Missouri revised statute 590.502, which states that officers are allowed to have an attorney present during meetings that they believe may lead to 'disciplinary action, demotion, dismissal, transfer, or placement on a status that could lead to economic loss,' according to the lawsuit. Manford had been working for the sheriff's office since 2005, according to court documents. While the lawsuit doesn't name the agency directly, a Facebook post from the sheriff's department lists Manford's 2020 promotion to sergeant. Accusations against male officers include one allegedly 'forbidding' Manford to become pregnant, another repeatedly touching Manford's hair despite her asking him him to stop, and a coworker telling other employees that Manford 'doesn't belong in her position,' despite Manford being his supervisor. The lawsuit describes one instance in which Manford was working in her office and a coworker handed her a notebook, according to the lawsuit. The coworker told Manford that he and other coworkers made the notebook 'just for her,' according to court documents. The officer told Manford they had attached a pen to the notebook because she was 'forgetful.' Additionally, he said the notebook had large print so Manford could see with her 'old eyes,' and the front cover read 'GERIATRIC EDITION,' according to the lawsuit. When Manford reported the incident, a supervisor allegedly laughed at her and did not report the behavior to human resources, the lawsuit claims. On another occasion, Manford's male coworkers gave her a 'gift' of a denture cup and denture cream, the lawsuit alleges. As the men gave Manford the items, they allegedly said, 'Don't forget to clean your dentures.' When Manford reported the incident to a different supervisor, it was dismissed as the coworkers 'playing around,' according to the lawsuit. Coworkers also allegedly repeatedly implied that Manford had dementia and called her 'meemaw,' as well as trying to scare her, court documents state. Manford, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, claims these conditions were exacerbated by the attempts to scare her, court documents state. In one instance, a coworker jumped out at her as she exited the locker room and Manford, 'acting in self-defense, reflexively slapped' the coworker, court documents allege. Manford was reprimanded for the incident; a male coworker who had done something similar a month before faced no repercussions, according to court documents. Later, Manford documented that several of her male coworkers had violated the dress code, according to court documents. The coworker who had previously attempted to scare Manford filed a complaint 'in retaliation.' Following the complaint, Manford's coworkers allegedly made comments to her that they were 'going to replace' her, according to court documents. Manford was eventually moved to the night shift and received what court documents refer to as a 'demotion.' She was fired without warning in July, according to court documents. In a phone call to the Star, The Cass County Sheriff's Office said it 'doesn't discuss pending litigation.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Passenger fighting for life after police chase crash
A passenger has been left with life-threatening injuries after their vehicle was hit in a crash during a police chase. The pursuit which led to the crash began when officers approached a suspicious vehicle on Drake Street in Rochdale at 18:15 BST on Thursday. The vehicle drove away before crashing and causing serious injuries to a passenger in another vehicle, before the suspected driver fled the scene. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the road had been cordoned off while police investigate. One other person from a third vehicle also received minor injuries after the crash. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Greater Manchester Police
2 hours ago
Detained Columbia graduate claims ‘irreparable harm' to career and family as he pleads for release
NEW YORK -- A Columbia graduate facing deportation over his pro-Palestinian activism on campus has outlined the 'irreparable harm' caused by his continued detention as a federal judge weighs his release. Mahmoud Khalil said in court filings unsealed Thursday that the 'most immediate and visceral harms' he's faced in his months detained in Louisiana relate to missing out on the birth of his first child in April. 'Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' the 30-year-old legal U.S. resident wrote. 'When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep.' He also cited potentially 'career-ending' harms from the ordeal, noting that Oxfam International has already rescinded a job offer to serve as a policy advisor. Even his mother's visa to come to the U.S. to help care for his infant son is also now under federal review, Khalil said. 'As someone who fled prosecution in Syria for my political beliefs, for who I am, I never imagined myself to be in immigration detention, here in the United States,' he wrote. 'Why should protesting this Israel government's indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians result in the erosion of my constitutional rights?' Spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Khalil's 13-page statement was among a number of legal declarations his lawyers filed highlighting the wide-ranging negative impacts of his arrest. Dr. Noor Abdalla, his U.S. citizen wife, described the challenges of not having her husband to help navigate their son's birth and the first weeks of his young life. Students and professors at Columbia wrote about the chilling effect Khalil's arrest has had on campus life, with people afraid to attend protests or participate in groups that can be viewed as critical of the Trump administration. Last week, a federal judge in New Jersey said the Trump administration's effort to deport Khalil likely violates the Constitution. Judge Michael Farbiarz wrote the government's primary justification for removing Khalil — that his beliefs may pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy — could open the door to vague and arbitrary enforcement. Khalil was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the first arrest under Trump's widening crackdown on students who joined campus protests against .
