Kevin Harpham, the white supremacist who admitted to plotting a racially-motivated attack on a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in Spokane, Washington in January 2011, as was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison on Tuesday.
Harpham, the Justice Department announced, will serve the rest of his life under court supervision. He pleaded guilty to two counts of a superseding indictment that charged him with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction as well as a hate crimes charge.
“Today, Mr. Harpham faces the consequences of his hate-filled act,” Laura M. Laughlin, special agent-in-charge of the FBI’s Seattle office, said in a statement. “A prototypical ‘lone wolf’ such as Mr. Harpham presents a particularly vexing threat—with nothing foreshadowing a carefully planned attack.”
As TPM reported, federal authorities were able to track down Harpham because they noticed an unusually high number of sales of quarter-ounce fishing weights — the kind used in the bomb — at a Walmart in Colville, Washington.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
Why no Terrorism charges?
Lone wolf, my ass, the Feds need to check out his associates and family. Dude threw his life away cuz he doesn't like black people, pretty stupid. Now he's got 32 years to think about it.
I kind of think they're already being watched. That "lone wolf" quote seemed a little ostentatious to me.... jonez
Supremely stupid.
Under current federal parole law, he must serve 80% of his sentence before he is eligible. That is a minimum of 25 years. There is no "good time" discounts against the 80%.
Gary Hurd There is no parole in the Federal prison system.
Tea party terrorist.
he should have gotten 32 x 32...imho
This seems so stupid, it's hard for me to get too worked up about it, and yet this is the kind of mind-set that hate speech leads to, blame someone different from yourself for any wrong you see in the world and attack them to relieve the frustration you feel.
Also, does anyone else think Ryan J. Reilly is a real cutie? Those cheeks were made for Grandma!
msrowena , HE DID NOT JUST SPEAK. Get a friend to "google" the Spokane newspaper and read the article to you.
Wonder who he has been voting for?
but if you are a muslim you go to gitmo (if the prez says so that is)
Just think of what he would have received if his name was Ahmed Muhammad.
Rick Castillo he would have been held indefinitely without trial in a black site prison or gitmo. haven't you read the secret constitutional amendments?
Fresh fish for the Aryan Brotherhood.
See ya fuckface. Enjoy the buttsecks.
This is off topic but...If you click on the link "Kevin Harpham" that begins this article you're taken to a page with all of the articles on this topic. I'm assuming that's a new function, or maybe I'm just oblivious (entirely possible). Either way THAT IS VERY COOL TPM!
this guy is a far right terrorist.... except only Muslims are called that in America.
32 years might not be enough for this guy. The crime committed was as bad as anything I've heard of in some time. It is a hate crime and domestic terrorism. Considering other non-violent crimes getting more (drugs) 32 seems a bit shy of justice. IMO
That bastard's angry face tells it all. Right now he's blaming 'the niggers' for making him build that bomb. These GeeBees blame everyone but themselves for everything bad that happens to them.
fargo117 one can only hope that his "popularity" with blacks in prison will offer some new perspective for him....
semievolved
You know, these guys are TERRIFIED that they are going to get cornholed to death in prison.
fargo117 me thinks his ass is going to be 'BOMBED' in prison
In related news, Ron Paul began searching for a new campaign manager.
Moral: Don't bomb angry.
By officially not treating this as an act of Terrorism, it was made sure that this would be found to be a "Lone Wolf" operation. The people that encouraged Harpham walk free, and the Right Wing Extremist establishment that created him is left unvillified and fully intact to create more monsters like him to commit more assassinations, bombings, etc., in the ongoing and successful Campaign of Terror being waged -for generations now- against the American Left.
Good thing that report about a possible upswing in right-wing violence was just a transparent, politicized attempt to smear the fine, upstanding wingnuts.
He looks angry in that mug shot. He's thinking "I shouldn't have used fishing weights".
I know, we can laugh about it now.
Luckily for possibly hundreds of people, this Anders Behring Breivik wannabe is dumber than a bag of hammers.
....but his act of Terror was successful, dispite killing no one -how many parents will be bringing their children to the MLK parade in Spokane this year, or the next, or the next?
This is how Terror works in this country -always against the Left, and never prosecuted with the goal of keeping it from happening again.
ignatzfattis Uh, a 32-year sentence isn't exactly softball. He got the full punishment of a justice system operating properly.
@Mickey Bitsko
Fortunately, most Militianoids are about as sharp as a butter knife. The problem is that you can't always hear them sneaking up behind you.
"federal authorities were able to track down Harpham because they noticed an unusually high number of sales of quarter-ounce fishing weights — the kind used in the bomb- at a Walmart in Colville, Washington". Awesome. Must be one hell of a computer system.
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