Suspected Neo-Nazi Planned Attack on Consulate to Influence US Presidential Election, FBI Says

In an attempt to stir debate on immigration amnesty issues ahead of the 2012 presidential election, a man with suspected ties to white supremacist groups planned to attack the Mexican consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to a federal affidavit, which also said he would risk his life in the event of a “race war.”

Joseph Benjamin Thomas also told an undercover FBI agent he considered himself a “domestic terrorist” instead of an American, the FBI affidavit said.

The document, recently unsealed in federal court, provides new details about the investigation into Thomas’ alleged plan. He was indicted in April on drug charges, though authorities had been watching him and another man since 2010 as part of a domestic terrorism probe. The affidavit said he’d amassed weapons and wanted to attack minorities, people with left-leaning political beliefs and government officials.