BREAKING THREAD: On April 11, Russell Vane IV - the subject of my reporting who allegedly attempted to provoke a Virginia militia group into producing explosives - was arrested.

He is charged with "Attempted production of a biological agent or toxin."

https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1774773763013324943

2) According to the criminal complaint, the FBI received multiple tips after I published the story about Vane - who went by Duke - on April 1.

He apparently tried to legally change his name on April 3, the same day a false obituary of him appeared.

https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1775899091677192415

INVESTIGATIVE VIDEO THREAD: The Virginia Kekoas, a pro-gun prepper militia based in Eastern Virginia and formerly affiliated with the Boogaloo movement, tells News2Share that they recently kicked out a member they believe may have been plotting an explosives-related entrapment attempt against the group, or worse.

Russell Richardson Vane IV first made contact with the Virginia Kekoas in April 2022, according to the group's leader Eddie Ray, who goes by "ICE" and member Cody Beckner, who goes by "Sasquatch." Vane allegedly adopted the call sign "Duke."

The pair provided extensive screenshots and documents showing that since joining, Vane - as "Duke" - engaged in an escalating sequence of unusual behavior that included apparent provocations for the group to develop homemade explosives. Homemade explosives lacking an ATF registration are generally a federal felony.

"Sasquatch" and "ICE" spoke exclusively to News2Share to provide a thorough timeline of the events that led up to "Duke" being removed from their organization.

2) ICE and Sasquatch say that upon reaching out to the Kekoas in 2022, Duke identified himself as working for the CIA, but was allowed to remain a prospective member rather than being ejected because they believed he may have advanced knowledge of world-altering events.

Here at Lancaster Public Library in Pennsylvania, both supporters and protesters had permits and planned to gather over a Drag Story Time.

The event, slated to start at 1pm, has now been cancelled after a “suspicious package” was reportedly found.

https://twitter.com/brettsholtis/status/1771552139090772208

VIDEO THREAD: Bodycamera footage has been released showing a Chicago Police Officer last month blindly firing his gun toward a child who had been playing with fireworks, missing every shot.

The shooter was one of three cops responding to a faulty "ShotSpotter" alert of gunfire. 2) A Ring camera shows the child playing with a ball and fireworks.

About 15 seconds in, the fireworks ignite, followed immediately by police gunfire.

"No, it's just fireworks!" the child says about 28 seconds in.

VIDEO THREAD: Pro-Palestine activists burned an Israeli Flag outside the Israeli Embassy tonight while playing the audio of U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation here from just one day ago.

"This is in solidarity with Aaron, who burned his body. At the very least, we can burn the Zionist flag," one said.

"If we burn, you burn with us!" the group chanted.

"Quit your jobs!" they chanted at police guarding the building. 2) "You killed that man!" an activist yelled at Secret Service guarding the Israeli Embassy. "You pulled your guns out instead of a fire extinguisher!"

Ashes from U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation remained on the sidewalk beside the officers' feet.

VIDEO THREAD: As Julian Assange's defense team argues against his extradition from London to the United States, protesters outside the Department of Justice demanded "Free Julian Assange!" this afternoon in DC. "No extradition!"

@codepink's @medeabenjamin said "Julian Assange, the one who wanted the world community to know about the war crimes that were being committed. Julian Assange, who understood how powerful truth can be. And yet here he is, languishing in prison. Here he is, potentially, very soon to be extradited to the United States."

"We know he has done nothing wrong. On the contrary, if anything, he should be awarded for having told the truth." 2) Esther Iverem @SeeingBlack also spoke at the @AssangeActionDC rally outside DOJ, tying the prosecution of Assange to the current conflict in Gaza.

"We know that Wikileaks told us more than a decade ago about Israel's intentional genocide of the Palestinian people."

New bodycam footage shows Okaloosa County, FL Deputy Jesse Hernandez declaring "shots fired!" and "I'm hit!" and shooting at the handcuffed, unarmed suspect inside of his police car.

He had not been shot, rather, it was determined that he heard an acorn drop onto the car. Sgt Beth Roberts responded quickly to Deputy Hernandez erroneously calling "shots fired" in response to an acorn dropping from a tree.

"Where? Right there?" Roberts asked before also firing at the handcuffed, unarmed man in their car.

Luckily, both cops missed every shot.

VIDEO THREAD: White nationalist group Patriot Front showed up at the annual March for Life in Washington DC today.

They handed out flyers while standing at the back of the rally.

"There are a lot of people here who like us," their leader Thomas Rousseau told media.

Rousseau said he's here for "the American people, the American ethnicity which has descended from the European race who conquered and settled this land."

"Our decline in the form of government has been exactly correlated with the decline of the interest of the American people in government itself." 2) I asked Thomas Rousseau how he responds to conservatives who believe Patriot Front is a federal op.

"Liberals want us to be real, and we are," he explains, while "conservatives want to say that we're fake because its convenient so they don't get the guilt by association."

VIDEO THREAD: Armed members of the Virginia Kekoas militia marched this morning to the State Capitol in Richmond to protest new gun control bills such as magazine limits and banning guns at bars.

The group carried guns into the "gun-free zone" surrounding the building. 2) Police informed the militiamen that they were not allowed to carry firearms in the area in front of the Capitol anymore.

Officers did allow them to pose for some photos in front of the building before departing, which the group complied with.

VIDEO THREAD: A coalition of armed Black groups, some on horseback, marched through Atlanta today, demanding #JusticeForBlackFarmers, particularly Derrick Williamson, a Morgan County farmer kicked off his own land two years ago by what he has called "millionaire squatters" 2) Speaking at Centennial Olympic Park in Georgia flanked by armed members of the Fred Hampton Gun Club, Derrick Williamson described how some of his animals died when his farm was taken by a "corrupt system."

He says he was wrongly convicted of "stalking" the judge.

VIDEO THREAD: Senator Ron Johnson spoke last night in the Capitol at the premiere of the film The Real Story of January 6: Part 2 - The Long Road Home by conservative outlet The Epoch Times.

"The First Amendment is so applicable to January 6," Johnson said, but "to the victor go the spoils. The victor writes the history, and unfortunately, in November 2020, Democrats had the full sweep. They had all the levers of power, and they wrote the history of January 6."

For example, he disputes the phrase "armed insurrection" to describe the day's events. 2) Senator Ron Johnson reiterated that "I was never afraid on January 6."

"I knew who most of those people in the crowd were, not personally," he says. "The people I saw attending Trump rallies and I knew the vast majority of people that came to January 6 were patriots."

"They fervently love this country. They respect law enforcement. They would never even contemplate committing a crime or engaging in acts of violence. The vast majority of people that came on January 6 fitted that profile."

VIDEO THREAD: In what appears to be their biggest showing of force in three years, Proud Boys gathered today outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus for a rally commemorating Ashli Babbitt and January 6 prisoners on the anniversary of the riot at the US Capitol. 2) Counter-protesters, some carrying rifles, opposed the Proud Boys who yelled "fuck Antifa!" at them.

Proud Boys and their allies also carried handguns and pepper spray.

Police stood between the two sides, ultimately preventing physical conflict as they yelled back and forth.

Prosecutors are seeking six months in jail for January 6 defendant Ray Epps.

Epps was only ever charged with one misdemeanor, which he pled guilty to.

The gov now says he engaged in “felonious conduct” but cites his cooperation with the FBI and Congress as mitigating factors. 2) In its request to send Ray Epps to six months of jail, the government acknowledges Epps’ infamous “We need to go into the Capitol” speech from January 5, 2021.

A footnote adds that he was never “a government employee or agent” - referring to a common claim among the right.

VIDEO THREAD: Police struggled to separate Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel demonstrators as they scuffled at dueling rallies today in Boca Raton, FL.

All video in thread by @davedeckerphoto for @N2Sreports 2) In the fight from the previous tweet, police arrested one Jewish, pro-Palestine woman.

"Palestine will never die!" she yelled as police took her away. "Free, free Palestine!"

"Shut the f*** up" pro-Israel activists mocked her.

"Let her go!" her side chanted.

VIDEO THREAD: Pro-Palestine activists gathered tonight outside the State Department to yell "shame" at employees and guests at the facility as they entered and exited and demand they "quit your jobs!"

They demand an end to American aid to Israel and a ceasefire against Gaza. 2) One pro-Palestine student came out from inside the State Department and joined the rally.

She was attending a festival event inside, and the protesters were audible: "I could hear your chants in the middle of the speeches!"

The crowd cheered.

Right now: Demonstrators arrested demanding Israeli ceasefire inside U.S. Capitol. Police begin one by one arrests of pro-Palestine protesters in Cannon Capitol building atrium.

VIDEO THREAD: Today in LA, pro-Palestine & pro-Israel activists scuffled around the Israeli Consulate.

Two men in black masks, one wearing an Israeli flag as a cape, deployed what appeared to be bear spray at the crowd, including my @N2Sreports contributor @AeonPhotoCo. 2) "Hey hey, ho ho, Zionism has got to go!" pro-Palestine activists beginning the protest chanted outside the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles.

"Israel, Israel, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today? Israel, Israel, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide!"

1) One more video thread from the Rod of Iron Ministries festival in Pennsylvania this weekend: The group's leader, Pastor Sean Moon, took the podium wearing a crown of bullets and carrying a gold-plated rifle, where he described America today as in a state of "real communist revolution" particularly citing the criminal charges against Trump and "corporate death penalty" in his New York civil case.

He describes the enemy as "political satanism" and proposes faith-based militias internationally as the solution.
2) Rod of Iron Ministries Pastor Sean Moon cited biblical passages to explain how he incorporates guns into his faith tradition, referring to Jesus as an "assault weapons manufacturer" over the passage where he fashions a whip.

He also cited the role of preachers in the American revolution.

VIDEO THREAD: I am here at the #RodOfIron Freedom Festival in Northern Pennsylvania.

They love guns, and they love Trump!

Cell phone connection isn’t great, but I’ll try to have some clips up throughout the weekend. Former Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka spoke out here at Rod of Iron, particularly receiving thunderous applause describing Mark Milley’s January 6 call to China as treason.

He also received a question from a Trump Georgia co-defendant/alternate elector.

https://twitter.com/fordfischer/status/1710675309262196784

VIDEO THREAD: Gun owners - many visibly armed - rallied in old Town Albuquerque today to openly defy the New Mexico Governor's Executive Order banning the open and concealed carry of firearms there as a one-month "emergency."

Police did not intervene or enforce the order. 2) One speaker at the armed rally in Albuquerque defying the gun carrying ban told the crowd that they need to go out and do this every day, or else it wouldn't have an impact.

While the police didn't enforce the order, it includes a $5000 fine for violators.

CW: Racism/language

VIDEO THREAD: Today the avowed Nazi "Blood Tribe" and "Goyim Defense League" marched in Orlando, chanting "Jews will not replace us" and "Jews get the rope."

"All heil the Führer," one would call, and the crowd would respond "Heil Hitler!" 2) As the Nazis rallied in Orlando, pro-Trump personality @LauraLoomer showed up and was immediately yelled at by the group, who called her "Laura Jewmer" and "tranny Jew."

"We're not voting Trump, Laura!" they said before sarcastically joking that they prefer DeSantis.