The men allegedly belonged to a militia group call "the Crusaders." They plotted to bomb a mosque and an apartment complex home to a number of Somali immigrants, authorities say.
Three Kansas men charged with trying to bomb a mosque and apartment building told a federal judge that exclusion of more politically conservative jurors was a violation of their rights.
Attorneys for the defendants, Gavin Wright, Patrick Stein and Curtis Allen, filed a motion asking for jurors to be picked from registered voters in western Kansas instead of Wichita.
Reason: There is a far more chance of voters in western Kansas to be pro-Trump compared to Wichita.
The three men were allegedly part of a militia group called “the Crusaders," which reportedly endorsed anti-government, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration beliefs.
They are accused of planning to use a weapon of mass destruction, a truck bomb, to blow up an apartment complex in western Kansas, where 120 people lived, including Muslim immigrants from Somalia.
They reportedly wanted to create a “bloodbath," the day after the Nov. 8 presidential election, thereby, igniting a "religious war" with Muslims.
"They would spare no one, not even babies," The Washington Post stated in its investigation of the alleged plot.
Defense attorneys stated in the motion the "case is uniquely political because much of the anticipated evidence will center around, and was in reaction to, the 2016 presidential election."
The three men have pleaded not guilty. The trial is set to begin on March 19.
Meanwhile, Twitter wondered and debated over why three suspects on trial for bombing Muslims would want their jurors to be Trump supporters:
Curious what Voir Dire looks like in this case... "Juror number 32? Thank you for being here today. Did you vote for Trump? On a scale of 1 to 10 how racist are you? You're a '2?' .. Move to strike..... " https://t.co/0Ao4Y29xKe
— Dana Wright (@RadioDana) December 11, 2017
Shit you can't make up: the defense wants jurors from western Kansas to be selected because they think they'll be more likely to support bombing refugees. https://t.co/bUFiSmSwXL
— Kevin Wayne Williams (@KevinWayneW) December 12, 2017
'3 men accused of plot to blow up Kansas mosque asked the judge for pro-Trump jurors.' This is insane and speaks volumes. Trump is destroying this country. @MuslimIQ https://t.co/XE11w5TiJg
— Machelle (@Minx970) December 11, 2017
The white guys who tried to bomb a Somali apartment building asked that the jury be made up of people from rural Kansas because they would be more likely to be Trump voters and find them not guilty.
— Ashley Lynch™ (@ashleylynch) December 12, 2017
Thumbnail/Banner: Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office/Reuters
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