Four U.S. Army soldiers were plotting to kill President Barack Obama, according to prosecutors.
The shocking plan was discovered as the men -- each one either active duty or former members of the military -- were being investigated for two other murders in Georgia.
The men were reportedly part of a militia group intent on bombing various sites near Savannah, taking over Fort Stewart Army base, overthrowing the government, and assassinating the President. Their plans were allegedly financed by a $500,000 insurance settlement alleged leader Isaac Aguigui received after the death of his wife. He even called himself "the nicest cold-blooded murderer you will ever meet," prosecutor Isabel Pauley said.
Cops claim they had stock-piled $87,000 worth of "guns and bomb-making materials" to accomplish their frightening mission. Things went wrong, however, when the bodies of former soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend Tiffany York were found shot to death. Police say that the pair was killed because they had learned what the group (which calls itself F.E.A.R. -- Forever Enduring Always Ready) was planning to do.
Apparently, F.E.A.R. may have even been recruiting people at the Army base and members could be identified by tattoos similar to the anarchy sign. As scary as this entire story is, it is an important lesson for us all. Too often, terrorists are painted as foreigners or, quite simply, from the Middle East. Clearly that type of profiling isn't just unethical, it does nothing to thwart plans like this. Truth is, terrorists come in every color, ethnicity, and nationality -- even our own. Have we forgotten The Unabomber or Timothy McVeigh?
This is the reality of our world. Terrorism isn't always born thousands of miles away -- despite what many think. We still have plenty of home grown threats to fear.
by Ericka Sóuter