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David Guy McKay, 22, and Bradley Neil Crowder, 23, both of Austin, are each charged with one count of possession of firearms that were not registered to them.
The two Austin men were in custody following an initial court appearance Friday. A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in Minneapolis. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. If convicted, the pair could each face up to 10 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers overheard a conversation through electronic surveillance in which McKay said the Molotov cocktails he and Crowder made would be thrown at vehicles parked in a St. Paul lot. The lot was used by law enforcement, and patrolled by U.S. Secret Service and the military.
“It’s worth it if an officer gets burned or maimed,” McKay was heard saying, according to federal authorities.
McKay and Crowder allegedly belong to an organization known as the Austin Affinity Group. FBI officials in Texas have been investigating the group since 2007, according to a news release issued by U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.
Authorities say members of the group traveled from Austin to Minnesota on Aug. 28, pulling a rental trailer that contained 35 “shields” crafted from stolen traffic barrels. The shields, confiscated by authorities, were outfitted with protruding screws and were meant to be used as “offensive weapons,” officials said.
Crowder, identified as the leader of Austin Affinity Group, was arrested on Sept. 1 for disorderly conduct, the news release said. McKay, a member of the group, was arrested on Sept. 3 at a residence in St. Paul — an apartment law enforcement authorities had been monitoring, officials said.
McKay and Crowder allegedly bought supplies for constructing explosive devices at a Wal-Mart in St. Paul. At the residence where McKay was arrested, St. Paul police officers seized eight assembled Molotov cocktails, along with gas masks, slingshots, helmets and knee pads.
Officials say that on Sept. 1, McKay had a falling out with members of the group and was planning to initiate “red actions” with others on Sept. 2.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.
