Self-proclaimed 'sovereign citizens' arrested in California after deputies allegedly find explosives

Last edited Mon Jun 20, 2022, 10:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Three people claiming to be "sovereign citizens" were arrested Saturday morning after live ammunition and explosives were found in a vehicle they were driving and at their remote compound, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies had conducted a traffic stop for suspected vehicle code violations Saturday just after 10 a.m. PT on a Ford Taurus near Joshua Tree National Park, a press release from the sheriff's department said. Inside the car were David Russell, 50, and Jeffery Russell, 46, who identified themselves as sovereign citizens. Sovereign citizens are a fringe group whose members consider themselves exempt from U.S. law and who sometimes use violent tactics to justify their beliefs, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Authorities said a records check showed that the two men were prohibited from possessing and owning firearms. Deputies found "live ammunition, black gunpowder, and an improvised military-grade explosive device" inside the car, they said, adding that the explosive device was safely disposed of.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/self-proclaimed-sovereign-citizens-arrested-154427375.html