The FBI arrested a 27-year-old alleged white supremacist for attempting to bomb a synagogue in Colorado on Monday.
Undercover agents provided fake explosive devices to Richard Holzer, who then attempted to blow up the Temple Emanuel synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado on Friday, the Denver Post reported. Holzer allegedly brought a knife and a copy of “Mein Kampf” to meet with the agents. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. (RELATED: In Case You Weren’t Convinced White Supremacist Richard Spencer Is A Deranged Loser, Here’s Some Audio That Will Change Your Mind)
“Like, this is a move for our race. One of these days, we’re probably gonna do something where one of us, couple of us even, probably won’t come back,” the FBI quotes Holzer as saying. “This is a big center here for them here in town. Thing is, why not hit the heart, right?”
Executive Director Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was shot in the hands, walks towards a press conference with Poway Mayor Steve Vaus outside of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue. (Photo by SANDY HUFFAKER / AFP) (Photo credit should read SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
The FBI first began interacting with Holzer in late September, receiving text and video messages via Facebook, in which he claimed to be a skinhead and a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, according to the Post. His arrest affidavit claims his Facebook activity was littered with anti-Semitism. (RELATED: Rabbi In Synagogue Shooting Asked ICE Agent To Be Armed During Services)
“I told this nasty Jew to fuck off or I’ll kill him,” he allegedly told another user. “I wish the holocaust really did happen…they need to die.”
If successful, Holzer’s bombing would have been the third major terrorist attack against a U.S. synagogue since 2018. Robert Bowers attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in late October 2018, killing 11 people after shouting “all Jews must die.”
A 19-year-old also attacked the Poway synagogue in San Diego in April 2019, killing one and injuring several before being subdued by an off-duty border patrol agent.