Neo-Nazi Hal Turner Arrested Again
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Hal Turner, a neo-Nazi talk radio host known for his threats against public
figures, was denied bail during an appearance in federal court Thursday
afternoon on charges of threatening to assault and murder three federal
judges. Also at the hearing, FBI officials revealed that they’d found 200
rounds of ammunition and 150 illegal hollow point bullets in Turner’s home during a search on Wednesday, according to the Jersey Journal.
Turner’s arrest comes three weeks after he was taken into custody in New Jersey on charges that he incited violence against two Connecticut legislators. He had been freed on $25,000 bond and wasn’t scheduled to return to court until July.
But the FBI — an agency for which he once may have worked as a paid informant — arrested Turner on Wednesday after going to his home in North Bergen, N.J., to execute a search warrant. The charges stem from Internet postings earlier this month in which he blasted a June 2 decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago that essentially upheld local handgun bans.
The blog posts named Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook, who wrote the unanimous decision, along with Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer. “Let me be the first to say this plainly: These Judges deserve to be killed,” Turner allegedly wrote on June 2. He later posted the photographs, phone numbers, work address and room numbers of the three judges, as well as a modified photo of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse where they work that reveals the locations of “anti-truck bomb barriers.” He also posted a map showing how to get to the building, according to the FBI.
In the June 2 blog post titled in part “OUTRAGE: Chicago Gun Ban UPHELD,” Turner states that the same federal appeals court that made the handgun decision also upheld the 2004 conviction of Matt Hale, a white supremacist now serving a 40-year sentence for soliciting the murder of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. Turner also noted that a gunman killed Lefkow’s mother and husband in her home. “Apparently, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court didn’t get the hint after those killings,” he allegedly wrote. “It appears another lesson is needed.”
Turner, 47, isn’t the only neo-Nazi whose cyberspace comments on the Hale case have helped lead to criminal charges in Chicago. Bill White of Roanoke, Va., the leader of the American National Socialist Workers Party, is scheduled for trial next month in federal court in Chicago on obstructing justice charges related to his alleged encouragement of violence against the foreman of the Chicago jury that convicted Hale. White posted the name, home address, phone numbers and other personal information of the “Gay, Jewish, anti-racist” juror last September. White wrote that the juror “played a key role in convicting Hale.”
If Turner is convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. “We take threats to federal judges very seriously. Period,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
Turner has made numerous racist and violent threats. In 2007, he railed against President George W. Bush, saying that “a well-placed bullet can solve a lot of problems.” He has written that “we need to start SHOOTING AND KILLING Mexicans as they cross the border.” In 2006, he published an attack on New Jersey Supreme Court justices that included several of their home addresses. Just before President Obama’s inauguration, he suggested that the mass murder of those attending the event “would be a public service.” Most recently, he was charged on June 3 with inciting injury to persons or property after he posted a blog entry that encouraged readers to “take up arms” against two Connecticut lawmakers, Sen. Andrew McDonald and Rep. Michael Lawlor. Turner was upset about state legislation that would give more power to the laity in the Roman Catholic Church.
In January 2008, unidentified hackers posted E-mail correspondence between Turner and an FBI agent who appeared to be his handler in the forum of Turner’s website for his radio program, “The Hal Turner Show.” The FBI last year declined to comment about Turner’s relationship with the agency.
Larry Keller contributed to this report.
on June 25th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I think we need to send Hal Turner away for a long time. It will send a strong message if we start incarcerating these individuals who spew hateful terroristic threats. All right wing talk show hosts should take note that they are not immured from prosecution for their threatening hate speech either.
on June 25th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Amusing. The lovely Christian man was solicited by the FBI to provide insights and information about the Jewish Negro conspiracy about which Turner was so well informed — at least that’s what the FBI told him.
In reality the FBI domestic terrorism unit was pumping up the insane man’s ego, pretending to be working with him to fight the pretend corruption and treason against white America, all while keeping a close eye on what the insane Christian was up to.
Or maybe not but that’s what it looks like. Republican’t aren’t very smart, after all.
My opinions only and only my opinions, as always.
on June 25th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
How long are we to put up with clown? until one of lower clowns goes out and starts killing people? I say we have to draw a line somewhere.
on June 25th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
We must start drawing a line with our congressional reps.. With the republicans being known as racists, and then the failed duo of mcpalin proving it further by inciting racist behaviors at their campaign speeches, enough is enough.
They incited racism at their campaign speeches, while being on the government payroll. This crap has to stop immediately.
“He’s not like us”. “He pals around with terrorists”. They played to an evil group of existing racism already out there, and KNEw they did.
That is unforgiveable, and it should never be forgotten.
on June 25th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I agree with truthseeker. Free speech is one thing, but making threats is another. He sounds like one weird bird.
on June 25th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Ten years and $250,000 is not long enough. Two hundred fifty consecutive ten year sentences “WITH NO POSSIBILITY of PAROLE” is more like it.
on June 25th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
This same person put out a threat in 2006 against then Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) announcing that his online radio topic for the week would be “Should someone lynch Cynthia McKinney on the way to the [primary] polls? How would she look hanging at the end of a rope? What message would it send to other uppity blacks?”
This was reported to both New Jersey FBI, who said they “knew all about Mr. Turner” and to NJ Homeland Security, but no charges were brought against him then. Has he stopped being an informant perhaps?
on June 25th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
These racists are proving themselves to be weak-minded, but just as important, low self-esteem and cowardly as well. The cowardly part is that folks like this guy purposely use speech that they know is going to lead to “others” doing the evil they espouse and also taking the risks of death or jail that these “leaders” of hate groups have not the guts to do themselves. It is a weak minded person that can be led into killing or injuring another simply by the words of some other person. Hate speech is not part of “freedom of speech” and the sooner we start reining these folks in through prosecution, the better. I find it incredible that in Germany you cannot promote Nazi beliefs or even display such symbols of hatred anywhere except in museums of history and historical books. Here however after having hundreds of thousands of our soldiers having been killed fighting this very same scourge of hate we allow these folks to roam freely amongst us and for all intensive purposes attempt to restart the very same beliefs. How can we wave the flag in patriotic manner on fourth of July and Memorial day honoring our veterans who died and yet allow folks pushing the very same beliefs that led to the death of those same veterans to walk freely among us preaching their hate? We talk of such things as Muslim terrorists and such, but we are far more at danger here at home from domestic crime, violence, and “good ole boy” homegrown domestic terror. Does a Black mother in Chicago, for example, worry each day that her son or daughter is going to be killed by foreign terrorists when they leave home each day, or by ordinary criminals in the streets or drugs and gangs? Same with these sort of folks as they are far more of a threat to our society than folks in foreign countries. The odds of being killed by a foreign terrorists is worse than winning the powerball lottery, yet we have a large group of domestic terrorists, “homegrown” just itching to serve their cause. Long past time we started treating this as the true threat that it is. Racism is not only evil, but also based on non-existing values as genetics tells us that race as we know it truly does not exist. We are only slightly different versions of the same species. Some of us though do appear to be a bit less “evolved” as evidenced by stories like these.
on June 26th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Sterling you bring up some very valid points and I share your frustration. I differ however in doctrine in regards to free speech and hate speech. If we begin, however well intended, to regulate questions of conscience, I think we run the peril of going too far. You are very astute in your observation that weak minded people are drawn to the dynamism and fury of hate speech, but I also believe that allowing expression in non-violent ways can at least provide a designated place to address these issues through reason. Surely sometimes hate groups will cross the line toward inciting violence, but this to me seems to be a necessary evil that we must cope with as a free and ordered society. Hopefully, the majority will come to view these outbursts as undesirable and the expression of hate will seal its own tomb. Of course this is only one point of view, and I have my misgivings about it.
on June 26th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I would imagine that Federal informant contracts are similar to State informant contracts & this idiot violated his; so he got an ass-whoopin’. Contracts of this nature generally state that the employee must not engage in actions that are relative to the first-person breaking of the law in respect to actions designed to enhance their financial, personal-political gain, etc. They are to deliver materiel information related to their employment by the agency respective of their assignment.
SO MANY WN are informants that this clown should know what’s expected of him. But he’s obviously thinking he’s got a “get out of jail free” card.
WRONG!
I anyone reading this blog IS involved in WN activities, you should know that almost 40-50% of your “brothers” ARE informants. WN are the most powerfully compromised political group in the nation’s history.
on June 26th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I am also tired of the hate talk and racism coming form these cancerous mouths. maybe now that one man was killed in his church and another in a museum, we can finally stop the revolving door of our prisons from freeing these men who if they were brown they would have never come out of jail in the first place!
How about a radio show called ” Why is whitey having such a hard time with the new face of America!” Probably not but we have plenty of Oreillys and hannitys and the filthy list goes on! Air time for White supremacy only it seems
on June 26th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Why do “they” all have that stupid, clueless look on their faces?
on June 26th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I agree Donna and I am constantly troubled by the fact that the corporate media seems to have no problem in aiding and abetting hate speech and incitements to violence. Bill O’Reilly was implicitly involved through his hate-filled broadcasts in inciting violence against the doc that got gunned down in a church. Fox News is allowed to broadcast rampant lunacy 24-7 while the other major news channels barely whisper a peep in rebuttal.
It all starts from the top. The low-lifes and the semi-illiterates will always be the soldiers on the field — acting as the tools for the powerful and the elite.
There are millions like this moron, the difference between him and so many others is that he had a public mike in front of him. Most who have that kind of access know how to temper their speech in socially acceptable euphemisms and well known socially scripted language.
Those of us who find this type of “belief” system abhorrent need to speak out against it at all fronts and encourage the mainstream media to step up to the plate and make their “objective journalistic” position known, instead of allowing one-sided lies and falsehoods stand.
on June 27th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Donna,
I like your idea for the radio show. Just as an aside I was banned from posting comments to the Houston Chronicle for using the term “white devil”, but meanwhile thousands of people can freely say “immigrant scum” and so on. Also for some reason you can’t criticize Texas A&M on the Chron blogs! LOL More recently there was a cop killed by an undocumented migrant, and the nativists hive burst open with hate speech against migrants. I replied that Jeffrey Dahmer was a nice white boy, and nobody seemed to worry about white people. Surely I will be banned again for daring to suggest that native born white people are cannibals.
on June 29th, 2009 at 4:01 am
I read about this neo-nazi & his recent arrest on the ‘Think Progress’ site, which says: “…the Nation (magazine) has pointed out (that) Turner has ties to Fox News’ Sean Hannity. In fact, Hannity has “offered his top-rated radio show as a regular forum for Turner’s occasionally racist, always over-the-top rants.” Hannity would also reportedly offer Turner “encouragement” to overcome his cocaine habit and “homosexual leanings.” ”
…and rightly points out:
“Turner’s arrest comes after two major tragedies put the spotlight on the dangers of right-wing extremism: the Holocaust Museum shooting by white supremacist James von Brunn and the assassination of Dr. George Tiller.”
They link to a chron.com article (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6496383.html) : “Prosecutors quoted a Turner Internet posting as saying: “Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed.”
The posting included a map showing the Everett Dirksen Federal Courthouse, where the three judges are based. It said a map showing the judges’ homes would later be added.
The posting also referred to the murder of the mother and husband of Chicago-based federal Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow in February 2005 — a crime that sent shock waves across the nation.
“Apparently, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court didn’t get the hint after those killings,” the posting said. “It appears another lesson is needed.”"
This man is ghastly!
There is a very dangerous situation that has been allowed to develop in the States that goes far beyond this individual case — these right-wing extremists who rabble-rouse on radio, and even TV, seem to have moved into the mainstream with networks like Fox giving their friends a national soapbox.
The lies and innuendo that ‘commentators’ spread about President Obama during the campaign, for example, - alleging that he was a Muslim terrorist, without an iota of evidence, have gone a long way to feeding and fueling future and past hate crime perpetrators. We saw how this fanned the flames of wild emotion during the McCain campaign when his crazed supporters’ cries of “Treason!” and “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!,” as well as the uninhibited slinging of racial epithets, suddenly shocked observers, as though this couldn’t have been predicted, and McCain had to intervene - a bit late in the game, a bit weakly, too - call off the dogs, pit bulls and otherwise. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/opinion/12rich.html)
on July 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
People like Mr. Turner are one step away - an assaination - from being on the same low moral level as those who organize suicide bombers in the middle-east and elsewhere.
on August 25th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Are all of you people missing the main point of this article? He was taught by the FBI what hate to spew. He was paid by the FBI to spew racist hate and incite violence. His handler taught him how far he could push the line. Government sponsored hate directed at it’s own citizens and elected officials. Are you all missing the main point of this or something? Stop being blinded by the left-right divide.
on August 25th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Apparently none of this crazy stuff is new; just saw a wonderfully sane youtube of years past:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LvKksJFqQ