Nathan Weeden, 24, of Houghton, Michigan, United States, Yousef O. Barasneh, 24, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA and Richard Tobin, 22, of Brooklawn, New Jersey, USA were members of the white supremacist group The Base.
Who is Nathan Weeden?
In September 2019, Weeden, Barasneh and Tobin used an encrypted messaging platform to discuss vandalizing property associated with Black and Jewish Americans. They called their plan Operation Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), which refers to events that took place from November 9-10, 1938 when Nazis murdered Jews and burned and destroyed their residences, places of business, synagogues and schools.
On September 21, 2019, Weeden spray-painted swastikas and symbols associated with The Base on the outside walls of Temple Jacob, a Jewish synagogue in Hancock, Michigan. That day, members of the group vandalized synagogues not only Hancock but also in Racine, Wisconsin, USA by spray painting them with hate symbols.
Both Barasneh and Tobin pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges. On November 16, 2021, the latter was sentenced to 366 days in prison.
On June 27, 2023, Weeden was indicted for conspiracy against rights and damage to religious property. On June 29, 2023, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested him.
On January 25, 2024, a jury convicted Weeden of conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate any person in the exercise of their rights and intentionally defacing, damaging or destroying religious property because of the race or ethnic characteristics of individuals associated with that property. On June 4, 2024, he was sentenced to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
CONAN Daily 