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Related: About this forumVirginia man ousted from militia charged with making deadly toxin
Virginia man ousted from militia charged with making deadly toxin
Federal charges related to manufacturing ricin deepens intrigue in a case thats shining a light on the evolution of the anti-government movement
By Hannah Allam and Razzan Nakhlawi
April 16, 2024 at 4:59 p.m. EDT
![](https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4SMRKCAR3LSXOB6HWE362GHCZA.JPG)
Members of the Virginia Kekoas stage a Second Amendment demonstration in Gloucester, Va., in August 2023. Russell Vane IV, second from left, was later removed from the militia group over statements about explosives. (Hannah Allam/The Washington Post)
A court appearance Monday solved one part of the mystery surrounding a Virginia man whose alleged talk of explosives landed him in a federal investigation: Russell Vane IV is alive. ... Vane, 42, who uses the nickname Duke, had gone silent early this month after an anti-government militia he belonged to publicly disavowed him over concerns about his repeated references to bombmaking.
An obituary for Vane popped up online in early April, saying that hed died in mid-March, but the notice disappeared after a couple days. A man who answered Vanes phone last week told The Washington Post that Duke killed himself. ... But Vane appeared, very much alive, in federal custody Monday for a hearing on charges related to manufacturing the deadly poison ricin, indications of which FBI agents found during a search of his home on April 10, according to filings in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The courtroom resurrection of a dead defendant and the specter of biological weapons are the latest installments in a strange story that shows how anti-government groups are evolving in an era of greater FBI scrutiny and landmark Justice Department prosecutions of far-right extremists. ... Earlier this month, members of the Virginia Kekoas prepper militia took the unusual step of going public with their fears that Vane, who formally joined last summer, might be either a government informant or a dangerous militant. They gave the independent journalist Ford Fischer chat logs and other documentation showing how Vanes talk of homemade explosives, Russian operatives and presidential assassination alarmed the group, which eventually removed him on March 10.
Acting on tips generated by Fischers report, according to court papers, the FBI conducted a search and found supplies for manufacturing ricin in the laundry room of a Vienna, Va., home that Vane shares with his wife and their young children. Prosecutors say in court papers filed Monday that laboratory tests indicated the presence of ricin, which authorities described as highly toxic, and can be fatal, if ingested, inhaled, or injected.
{snip}
By Hannah Allam
Hannah Allam covers extremism and domestic terrorism as part of the National Security team.
By Razzan Nakhlawi
Razzan Nakhlawi is a researcher on The Post's National Security desk. Twitter https://twitter.com/raz_nak
Federal charges related to manufacturing ricin deepens intrigue in a case thats shining a light on the evolution of the anti-government movement
By Hannah Allam and Razzan Nakhlawi
April 16, 2024 at 4:59 p.m. EDT
Members of the Virginia Kekoas stage a Second Amendment demonstration in Gloucester, Va., in August 2023. Russell Vane IV, second from left, was later removed from the militia group over statements about explosives. (Hannah Allam/The Washington Post)
A court appearance Monday solved one part of the mystery surrounding a Virginia man whose alleged talk of explosives landed him in a federal investigation: Russell Vane IV is alive. ... Vane, 42, who uses the nickname Duke, had gone silent early this month after an anti-government militia he belonged to publicly disavowed him over concerns about his repeated references to bombmaking.
An obituary for Vane popped up online in early April, saying that hed died in mid-March, but the notice disappeared after a couple days. A man who answered Vanes phone last week told The Washington Post that Duke killed himself. ... But Vane appeared, very much alive, in federal custody Monday for a hearing on charges related to manufacturing the deadly poison ricin, indications of which FBI agents found during a search of his home on April 10, according to filings in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The courtroom resurrection of a dead defendant and the specter of biological weapons are the latest installments in a strange story that shows how anti-government groups are evolving in an era of greater FBI scrutiny and landmark Justice Department prosecutions of far-right extremists. ... Earlier this month, members of the Virginia Kekoas prepper militia took the unusual step of going public with their fears that Vane, who formally joined last summer, might be either a government informant or a dangerous militant. They gave the independent journalist Ford Fischer chat logs and other documentation showing how Vanes talk of homemade explosives, Russian operatives and presidential assassination alarmed the group, which eventually removed him on March 10.
Acting on tips generated by Fischers report, according to court papers, the FBI conducted a search and found supplies for manufacturing ricin in the laundry room of a Vienna, Va., home that Vane shares with his wife and their young children. Prosecutors say in court papers filed Monday that laboratory tests indicated the presence of ricin, which authorities described as highly toxic, and can be fatal, if ingested, inhaled, or injected.
{snip}
By Hannah Allam
Hannah Allam covers extremism and domestic terrorism as part of the National Security team.
By Razzan Nakhlawi
Razzan Nakhlawi is a researcher on The Post's National Security desk. Twitter https://twitter.com/raz_nak
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Virginia man ousted from militia charged with making deadly toxin (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
Apr 2024
OP
if the draft lottery were to be re activated , i wonder how many of these would flee?
AllaN01Bear
Apr 2024
#8
When you go to that area the first thing they say to you is "yer not from 'round here are ya?".
twodogsbarking
Apr 2024
#11
PSPS
(13,965 posts)1. So, this is "well regulated?" LOL.
et tu
(1,611 posts)2. and making it
at home in the laundry room and he has kids!
pazzyanne
(6,575 posts)4. Stupid, stupid, stupid man! n/t
ck4829
(35,519 posts)3. Not a Muslim, not an immigrant, not antifa, not Black Lives Matter
gay texan
(2,716 posts)5. OMG, check out the dude with the double chins
"Hardees force one from Mom's basement"
prodigitalson
(2,731 posts)10. I guess they don't have monkey bars like Al Queada
(let's see who gets that joke)
FSogol
(45,981 posts)6. What a bunch of chickenshits playing soldier. I have to laugh. n/t
Geechie
(904 posts)7. So your arm patch says "violent extremist"
but youre worried about somebody in your organization having malicious intent? Did I get that right?
AllaN01Bear
(22,149 posts)8. if the draft lottery were to be re activated , i wonder how many of these would flee?
bottomofthehill
(8,611 posts)9. Vienna VA. 30 minutes from the Capitol
Not a comforting story.if he did not have a wife and children, I would be rooting for Darwin here
twodogsbarking
(11,502 posts)11. When you go to that area the first thing they say to you is "yer not from 'round here are ya?".
Much of Va and WV is that way. Dollar General's motherlode.