Back in October, an armed Missouri man was arrested for pulling an emergency brake on an Amtrak train. He is now being charged as a terrorist by federal authorities according to court papers.
Taylor Michael Wilson, 26, is a member of a Neo-Nazi group and has a history of problematic behavior such as attending the alt-right rallies in Charlottesville. His cousin told the FBI, he frequently talks about “killing black people.” He also told investigators that he has been acting strange ever since joining the alt-right Neo-Nazi group.
His behavior issues are not the only issues he has; he has a series of mental health problems as well as a history of drug abuse.
He was arrested in October in Nebraska after he entered a restricted area of the train and hit the emergency brakes stopping at Furnas County, Nebraska. Wilson was accused of “terrorism attacks and other violations against railroad carriers and against mass transportation,” according to court papers.
Investigators say he was traveling from Sacramento, CA to his hometown in Missouri while on board the Amtrak train. He was found playing with the engineer’s seat controls in the restricted area. The Amtrak staff tried to control him as he struggled to pull out his gun from his waistband.
The local sheriff’s deputy of Furnas County approached the scene around 2 a.m., witnessing Wilson being held down to the ground by an Amtrak employee. Wilson was equipped with a loaded .38-caliber handgun and a speedloader with full ammunition. A backpack identified as Wilson’s was found containing, “three additional loaded speed loaders, a box of .38 ammunition, a hammer, a fixed blade knife, tin snips, scissors, a tape measure” and a respirator-style mask, according to the federal filing.
After he was released on bond on Dec. 11, the investigators continued to search his belongings for information on possible motives. After obtaining a search warrant for Wilson’s phone, videos and other documents were found displaying white supremacist banners and PDF files related to skills for killing people. The investigators said his actions and the overwhelming evidence were common in people who are “attempting or planning to commit criminal acts or acts of terrorism or violence.”
Attorneys and Investigators are still in shock of the findings. What else could be unveiled in this act of terrorism?
