Wiesenthal Center: Neo-Nazi Bomb Plot A ?Chilling Reminder? Of Dangers Of Domestic Extremism

Wiesenthal Center: Neo-Nazi Bomb Plot A “Chilling Reminder” Of Dangers Of Domestic Extremism

The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed relief at yesterday's action by Federal officials who broke up a plot by two NewJersey-based neo-Nazis. The men, who were charged with selling guns, had also accumulated 60 pounds of similar material to that used by Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma Citybombing. The men were identified as having connections to the neo-Nazi skinhead movement as well as to the group formerly known asthe World Church of the Creator, whose leader Matt Hale was recently sentenced to 40 years for conspiring to murder a Federal judge.

“The arrests are a chilling reminder to Americans of the dangers that domestic extremist groups still present to our society andto our lives,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “They are still committed to violence, and only the diligent efforts of the combined State andFederal law enforcement have averted a potential tragedy,” he added.

Mark Weitzman, Director of the Center's Task Force Against Terrorism and Hate added, “The fact that these neo-Naziswere dreaming of an escape to Europe demonstrates once more the international scope of the neo-Nazi movement.”

The Wiesenthal Center, which monitors extremism on the internet, has reported a 25% increase of extremist websites, raising thenumber to over 5,000 such websites currently available online. In light of these events, Center officials urged Federal and local law enforcement to continue to pay attention tothe threat posed by domestic terrorist and extremist groups.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 memberfamilies in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036.