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3 men convicted in Kansas plot to bomb Somali refugees By The Associated Press Posted Apr 18, 2018 at 12:11 PM This combination of Oct. 14, 2016, file booking photos provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office in Wichita, Kan., shows from left, Patrick Stein, Curtis Allen and Gavin Wright, three members of a Kansas militia group who were charged with plotting to bomb an apartment building filled with Somali immigrants in Garden City, Kan. The jury in their trial returns to the courtroom on Tuesday to get final instructions and to hear arguments before getting the case for deliberation. ▲ This combination of Oct. 14, 2016, file booking photos provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office in Wichita, Kan., shows from left, Patrick Stein, Curtis Allen and Gavin Wright, three members of a Kansas militia group who were charged with plotting to bomb an apartment building filled with Somali immigrants in Garden City, Kan. The jury in their trial returns to the courtroom on Tuesday to get final instructions and to hear arguments before getting the case for deliberation. ▲ --> WICHITA, Kan. — A federal jury on Wednesday found three men guilty of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali refugees in Kansas. Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen were convicted of one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of conspiracy against civil rights. Wright was convicted of a charge of lying to the FBI. Sentencing is set for June 27. The three men were indicted in October 2016 for plotting an attack for the day after the presidential election in the meatpacking town of Garden City, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) west of Wichita. Prosecutors have said that a fellow militia member, Dan Day, tipped off federal authorities after becoming alarmed by the escalating talk of violence and later agreed to wear a wire as a paid informant. The government's case featured months of profanity-laced recordings in which militia members discussed plans and referred to the Somalis as "cockroaches." Wright is captured in one recording saying he hoped an attack on the Somalis would "wake people up" and inspire others to take similar action against Muslims. The government argued that the men formed a splinter group of the militia Kansas Security Force that came to be known as "the Crusaders." The testimony and recordings indicate the men tried to recruit other members of the Kansas Security Force to join them. According to prosecutors, Stein was recorded discussing the type of fuel and fertilizer bomb that Timothy McVeigh used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. Stein was arrested when he delivered 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of fertilizer to undercover FBI agents to make explosives. Attorneys for the defense said the FBI set up the men with a paid informant and all the talk about violence wasn't serious. They said the men had a right to free speech and association under the U.S. Constitution. Prosecutors argued the plot was more than just words, telling jurors that the men also manufactured homemade explosives and tested them. Most Popular Overdose antidote to be given away Wednesday Apr 16 at 2:01 AM Spider-Man's brother charged in Ashland drug, mail-theft cases Apr 13 at 5:16 PM Wolves in Oregon: 124 Apr 13 at 2:01 AM Update: Teen's name released in fatal crash Apr 16 at 10:16 AM Tom Malot's legacy: home and community building Apr 12 at 5:31 PM Makerspace coming to Central Point Apr 18 at 11:27 AM Democrats in turmoil Apr 17 at 8:17 AM Renovated hospice house nearing fundraising deadline Apr 14 at 10:17 AM Johnson boogies to fast time in women's Pear win Apr 14 at 6:37 PM Grants Pass man to appear on 'American Murder Mystery' Apr 16 at 9:56 AM Airwaves auction means headaches for local TV Apr 17 at 8:16 AM Earl Winfield "Bud" Lininger Apr 15 at 2:00 AM © Copyright 2006-2018 Rosebud Media LLC. All rights reserved. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com ~ P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501