White man plotted to kill Atlanta concert to start ‘race war’: feds

An Arizona gun dealer allegedly plotted to target black people in a mass shooting at an Atlanta concert in hopes of starting a “race war.”

Tuesday June 11, 58 years old Mark Adams Prieto was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of trafficking in firearms, transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime and possessing an unregistered firearm, according to HuffPost.

The indictment comes after Prieto was arrested last month for providing weapons to federal informants as part of his plot to attack black people at a concert in Atlanta. Federal prosecutors said Prieto told the individuals he hoped to “kill as many people as possible” and wanted to leave Confederate flags, Ku Klux Klan propaganda and other “offensive rhetoric” at the scene. shooting to incite a race war.

“In his mind, this had to be seen unequivocally as race-related. He expressed frustration with the direction the country was heading and his willingness to use violence to change that direction,” prosecutors said.

Prosecutors further alleged that Prieto specifically chose the city to target and the weapons the group would use in the shooting.

“Prieto did not know these individuals were working with the government, but he believed they shared his racist beliefs and wanted to commit a mass shooting to incite a race war,” the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

After his arrest, Prieto admitted that he had planned the mass shooting in Atlanta, but said it was only a “fantasy” and that he had no intention of carrying it out.

Prieto’s lawyer argued that federal authorities did not have sufficient evidence that his plot was nothing more than a fantasy or that he posed a danger to the public. “Even if it’s true,” Prieto should not be denied bail because of his alleged racist beliefs, the attorney said.

However, a judge disagreed and ordered Prieto to remain in prison.

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