An apparent Nazi sympathizer who allegedly built an illegal assault rifle that he planned to use against Jews and police has pleaded not guilty to three felonies, according to Contra Costa County prosecutors. Ross Farca, a 23-year-old resident of Concord, was arrested last week after the FBI relayed a tip to local police.
Farca had been posting comments in an online chat room threatening to commit a mass shooting at a synagogue and target responding police officers.
FBI investigators tracked the comments to an address in Concord and forwarded the details to local police, who obtained a search warrant and allegedly found an illegally assembled semi-automatic assault rifle along with several high-capacity magazines at the home Farca shares with his mother.
Investigators also allegedly found Nazi literature, camouflage clothes and a sword.
He has since been charged with criminal threats, possession of an unlawful assault weapon and unlawfully manufacturing an assault weapon — all of which are felonies.
Farca is scheduled to return to court on June 25. Meanwhile, he remains in custody on $125,000 bail.
The Anti-Defamation League, an international anti-hate group, issued a statement about Farca’s arrest, saying investigators have found no indication that he had accomplices or was part of a larger network. However, they said his case demonstrates the continued potential for radicalized individuals to stage mass shootings.
The group urges anyone with information that could be used to stop such an attack to contact the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force directly at (415) 553-7400.
Hate crimes and related incidents can also be reported directly to the Anti-Defamation League online at https://www.adl.org/reportincident.
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