E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Jared Chase, Brian Church, Brent Vincent Betterly, Sebastian Senakiewicz, Mark Neiweem were charged in Cook County Court for preparing explosives or making threats during the NATO summit this weekend.
Updated at 4:55 p.m. ET: CHICAGO -- Prosecutors said Sunday they have charged two more people as part their investigation into activists who planned to take part in demonstrations at the two-day NATO summit.
The Cook County State's Attorney's office said Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, a native of Poland who lives in Chicago, is charged with falsely making a terrorist threat. Mark Neiweem, 28, who authorities believe to be from Chicago, is charged with attempted possession of explosives or incendiary devices.
Senakiewicz had bragged about having explosives, a prosecutor told a judge, claiming that he hid them in a hollowed-out Harry Potter book. But searches did not find any explosives, the prosecutor said.
The men were scheduled to make an initial court appearance later Sunday, when prosecutors were expected to offer more details about their allegations. Also expected in court Sunday is a third man, Taylor Hall, who was arrested during protests on Saturday night and is charged with aggravated battery to a police officer. Authorities did not immediately release Hall's age or hometown.
Three other activists appeared in court and were accused of manufacturing Molotov cocktails and having plans to attack President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters and other targets during the NATO protests.
Kris Hermes, a spokesman for the National Lawyers Guild, which has represented many of the activists pro bono, said the new charges were an "effort to frighten people and to diminish the size of the demonstrations."
Hermes said dozens of lawyers had donated their time over the weekend and that hundreds had called the guild's hotline. By Sunday morning, they had represented 37 people who had been arrested.
He said one man was clubbed over the head, causing heavy bleeding, and that another was transported to the hospital after being run over by a police van. That man, Hermes said, was shackled to his gurney during the four hours he was at the hospital.
Hermes said that while the five cases may not be related, his group believes the same police informants turned them in.
The trio charged Saturday are Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H.; and, Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla. They were arrested on Wednesday and face felony charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, material support for terrorism and possession of explosives.
Senakiewicz was arrested a day later and there was no immediate indication that he had links to Church, Chase or Betterly. It also wasn't clear when Neiweem was arrested and if he had any links to the other charged activists.
Defense lawyer Michael Deutsch on Saturday accused police of setting up their clients in an attempt to frighten peaceful protesters. He said undercover officers brought the firebombs to a South Side apartment where the men were arrested.
Critics say filing terrorism-related charges against the protesters is reminiscent of previous police actions ahead of major political events, when authorities moved quickly to prevent suspected plots but sometimes quietly dropped the charges later.
"Even if charges are dropped or reduced later, they will have succeeded in spreading fear and intimidation," Hermes said.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Saturday flatly dismissed the idea the arrests of the initial three suspects were anything more than an effort to stop "an imminent threat."
Prosecutors said Church, Chase and Betterly used fuel purchased from a Chicago gas station for makeshift bombs, pouring it into beer bottles and cutting up bandanas to serve as fuses. If convicted on all counts, they could get up to 85 years in prison. They are each being held on $1.5 million bond.
Msnbc.com's Isolde Raftery contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Father of 30, by 11 women, wants state child support
- Marijuana grows openly in California towns, not just for medicinal purposes
- Attacks on Chicago police stations, Obama office were planned, prosecutors say
- Video: 'Am I going to make it or not?' says man fleeing fire
- Key witness in Trayvon Martin shooting changed story
Leave a Comment:
Jeepers.... kind of look like your average pot heads to me.... except as far as I know 99.9% of pot heads are non-violent except if someone eats all the munchies. Obviously these youngsters didn't realize it's the majority of the population in an insurrection that must be achieved first before outright disobedience....
More like these teenagers did not realize not to trust anyone you dont know. they are being charged with attempted possession?? and falsely making a terrorism threats?? what are false terrorism threats? I will not attack someone? Seems more to me like the POLICE need to be charged with possession of explosives, coercion and inciting violence. They probably originally planned to protest but those police that infiltrated them most likely convinced them that peaceful protest would not help. Most likely the police convinced them in stages why dont we..... all the way till they got them to accept the idea of using fire bombs. Arrest the cops and throw them in general population for THEIR crimes.
I guess next you can be charged with WANTING to posses something and thinking about your rights you are ( FALSELY) losing.
Fine examples of the OWS movement.
EEEeekk .... terrorists. I've seen scarier people gliding by on skateboards.
Spoiled brats who could not hold a job if anyone were stupid enough to offer one to them.
They won't need a job where they're going; everything will be provided....bed, 3 meals a day, free tv, amorous roommate...and they might even learn a trade, like making license plates, maybe.
Sounds like these boys need a taste of life on the real front line. Send them to Afghanistan for some proper training.
Jonathan - if we were to send these 'wanna be' men to combat, they would probably defect in an attempt to avoid getting shot. Then we would be forced to watch them spout anti-american propaganda (and they are experienced in doing that). It is better to send them to prison for a few decades. Or maybe Guantanamo - where they can debate their view of freedom with their fellow terrorists (unfortunately - Islamic Fundamentalists don't have the same view of freedom as these loons). And upon release - those who were born in another country should have their citizenship revoked (due to false claim) and be sent home to their native country.
This is a tricky situation, the first report said they had beer making distillery that officials said could be used for molotov cocktails.. it sounded alot less serious than this report. Violence is never the answer kids, please don't be crazy.
I just don't know what to believe since this story keeps getting more trumped as time goes on. I'd like to know what these kids were demonstrating about, sounds like they hit a nerve if these allogations arent true. If they are true they deserve criminal sentences. The whole "terrorism" label makes your constitutional rights disappear and that is just not ok in my book.
It really sounds like these kids went too far. However you slice it their lives are ruined.
The thought police have arrived now you will be charged for thinking about "whether guilty or not of committing any crime", with having thought of committing a crime.
No evidence required other than someone heard you thinking... A single person can accuse anyone in todays police state and it holds more weight than the accused something is wrong in the USA.
Wait to hear the rest of the story before you make judgments!!!
I don't know who to believe either. The media is excellent at reporting half truths. Several people are coming out and saying that these kids have been set up.
It seems under the Obama admin. they will arrest you if you seriously protest. Open your eyes, we are being slowly controlled by the US government.
What a bunch of losers. Send them to Gitmo with some real hardcore terrorists.
I was going to comment to the very last comment you made, but this one is actually better. I see that you acknowledge that these jokers, or at least one of them, are just idiot(s), and not so "hardcore" after all. I would hate to be the person caught jaywalking in front of your house. I don't know about the Gitmo comment...it sort of gives you away.
The cynical side of me thinks how easy it would be to get people like this to do stupid acts of violence, to make an arrest or make it look like they stopped a terrorist act, but I hope the law was just doing it's job, not entrapment.
And so the BIG BAD PSEUDO TERRORIST LIST GROWS! What a Crock of CRAP!Let's see who else they can nail,maybe grandma's next!
Bottom line any of these demonstrators can be next,they all walk into a Spider Web,a Trap, and they don't even realize it, nor did they nor do they know it!
The evidence and the stories these clowns come up with are so bogus, a smart 2yr. old can see through it!
Wait it gets Better! By the way I'm on NOBODY'S SIDE!
Call it a slow news day, whatever. I don't know why I even read. Everyone knows there are going to be arrests at these things. However, all I can say is wow. The headline boldly stated, Two more Arrested. Then, actually getting to the story, the tag says something about terrorism charges....and then I actually read.
What a shame!
You read that right, or did you bother reading at all? Upon reading the story, we find out that Senakiewicz was actually arrested for bragging. Now I am unsure of how this all went down, but usually this stuff involves some drunk calling in a bomb threat at a school. That is certainly an offense worth being arrested over, but bragging that you have explosives, when at the scene, the officers can clearly see there are none, and it is just some idiot...he should have been thrown in the drunk tank and maybe charged with a misdemeanor...not something related to terrorism.
Again I say, What a shame. A shameful excuse of excersizing authority only.
You see its like this. We have created this thing called the Department of Homeland Security after the attacks on the Pentagon, WTC, and the White House. We have expanded the roles of the FBI, CIA, local and state police forces and the military. Billions of dollars are spent using high and low tech counter terrorism strategies. Everything from high tech listening devices to undercover operatives. They are our watchdogs and they are watching. They are very good and highly trained. You dont have to be Osama bin Laden to be a terrorist. These bozos were caught in the act. They will stand trial and justice will be served. I applaud our agencys for catching these stooges. Hope they catch more. These are self confessed members of the Black Block anarchist movement. So spare me the BS about this being state sponsored terrorism and a police state. We will catch you and we will try you. Congratulations on this apprehention.
Your picture is borderlining visual terorism!~~~
Get Ready For The Coming Government Orchestrated Attack on the NATO SUMMIT!
This will be an inside job just like 911 was!
Don't believe any story that talks about "anarchists" or "terrorists"
The real agenda is to make the American Citizen the "terrorist"
So we all come under suspicion and can legitimately have our rights and freedoms taken away and be placed under constant surveillance like in a 1984 totalitarian state!
These guys are patsies used by FBI/CIA Provaceteurs.
And we all know 911 was an inside job right?
The arrest should be made against those whom take orders from the United Nations, foreign Governments and that have violated our Constitution. The next batch that should be arrested is those whom beat and assaulted US Citizens for their Constitutional rights to protest.
There in lies the real terrorist acts against the citizens of the united states of america.
I'm sorry, but I can't wrap my head around the "charges"...
"Falsely" making a terrorist threat? So, if someone claims they're going to blow up a federal/state or local government building and THEY DON'T DO IT... they'll be charged for falsely claiming they would?
"Attempted" possession of explosives or incendiary devices. Here, if I go to a gas station to fill my vehicle and get gas for my lawnmower AFTER I've told someone I'd like to blow the idiots running the country to the hell they've put us in... I could be arrested?
So a "thought" can get people arrested now? If I had C4 or Semtex in my possession, ok.. it's reasonable to arrest me.
It's kind of like the "hate" crimes legislation being bandied about.... you can kill someone and walk, but you COULD go to prison for hating what color or sex the victim was.
I'd laugh if it wasn't so insane!!!
According to the evidence so far it looks like the terrorist are the government sheeple, Nazi police setting up the civilians.