By Jeremy Herb
08/27/12 04:08 PM ET
The Hill - Army soldiers formed a militia group in Georgia that plotted to overthrow the U.S. government — and they killed a fellow soldier and his girlfriend to keep the plot secret, prosecutors alleged Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors in the Long County, Ga., case say that the militia group planned to overtake the nearby Fort Stewart, to bomb a dam in Washington state and poison the state’s apple crop and ultimately overthrow the government and assassinate the president, according to reports.
The group of former and activity duty U.S. service members spent at least $87,000 on guns and bomb components, prosecutors said.
The anarchist allegations emerged Monday during the trial where four soldiers are accused of killing former soldier Michael Roark and his 17-year-old girlfriend Tiffany York, to stop their plan from being revealed.
"This domestic terrorist organization did not simply plan and talk," prosecutor Isabel Pauley told the judge. "Prior to the murders in this case, the group took action. Evidence shows the group possessed the knowledge, means and motive to carry out their plans."
The militia group’s name is F.E.A.R, which stands for Forever Enduring Always Ready. Prosecutors did not know how many members the group had, according to published reports.
The four soldiers accused of killing Roark knew each other at Fort Stewart. One of the four soldiers charged, Pfc. Michael Burnett, backed up the prosecutor’s claims Monday, after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and agreed to testify against the others, the AP reported.
The other defendants, Pvt. Isaac Aguigui, Sgt. Anthony Peden and Pvt. Christopher Salmon, have been charged in criminal court with murder and criminal gang activity, among other charges. The Army also filed charges against the four soldiers, according to reports, although it has not acted on them.
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