Beliefs, ideology, and 2019 plot Hasson identifies as a
white nationalist. Hasson had been amassing guns and ammunition since 2017. His goals included the assassination of high-profile Democratic and left-leaning politicians and media figures. Hasson created a "hit list" spreadsheet naming various journalists,
Democratic politicians, and
socialist figures and organizations and used computers at his workplace to study the manifestos of various mass shooters; prosecutors also alleged he used work computers to plan an attack. In addition to being a self-proclaimed
white nationalist, Hasson is a
neo-Nazi and has been a
white power skinhead for the last 30 years. He advocated
turning the Pacific Northwest into an all-white homeland when he sent a letter to the American neo-Nazi and leader of the Northwest Front
Harold Covington stating that he has been on his website briefly and read most of his books. Hasson expressed dissatisfaction with holding public rallies and gaining support from the public in a letter which he wrote several weeks after the
Unite the Right rally in
Charlottesville, Virginia and preferred militant action, including actions targeting individual public figures who he believed were "
Cultural Marxists". Hasson was planning to use
biological weapons such as the
Spanish flu,
botulism, and
anthrax to "kill almost every last person on the earth", followed by attacks on the food supply. He recommended building stockpiles in five locations, the contents of which were to be food, firearms, clothing/military gear, and
extra mortar recoilless rifles. He recommended gaining combat/military experience and
chemistry skills in addition to buying three homes and hideouts. Hasson wanted to use tactics from the
Euromaidan protests and the
Donbas conflict in
Ukraine in order to raise tensions between the "govt/police" and "
BLM protestors and other
leftist crap". Hasson is an
antisemite as expressed in the letter "I don't know if there truly is a 'Conspiracy' of
(((People))) out to destroy me and mine, but there is an attack nonetheless". The same letter referred to "
muslim scum". Hasson also made searches which included "white homeland", "when are whites going to wake up" and "please god let there be a race war" including the addresses of various Supreme Court justices and a gun to kill
African-Americans.
Investigation and arrest Hasson was arrested on February 15, 2019, in the parking garage of the Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington. Federal investigators executed
search warrants at Hasson's apartment and office in
Silver Spring, Maryland. Seven rifles, two shotguns, four pistols, two revolvers, and two silencers, along with magazines and ammunition and the
opioid tramadol, were found in his home. On February 27, 2019, Hasson was indicted by a
federal grand jury on charges of unlawful possession of
silencers;
possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful use; and possession of a controlled substance (specifically,
tramadol).
US Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day initially ordered Hasson to be granted
pretrial release, on strict bail conditions, including home confinement at his wife's parents' home with
GPS monitoring. However, prosecutors appealed this decision and it was immediately reversed by US District Court Judge
George J. Hazel, who ordered that Hasson continue to be detained pending trial, citing the potential dangers to the community. Hazel stated that the government's evidence showed that Hasson has specifically planned an attack based on the
2011 massacre in Norway perpetrated by
Anders Behring Breivik, and had acquired weapons and ammunition with the purpose of furthering the planned attack. Hasson initially pleaded not guilty, but in October 2019 entered a guilty plea to three charges: possession of
tramadol without a prescription and illegal possession of firearms and the firearm silencers. (Under US federal law, a person who is a "unlawful user and addict of a controlled substance" is prohibited from owning firearms). In February 2022, a three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Hasson's appeal. He is serving his sentence at the
FCI Butner Medium with BOP# 64544-037.
Reactions President
Donald Trump reacted to the attempted attack by Hasson stating "I think it's a shame" and that it was "a very sad thing". Joe Scarborough, one of the people targeted in Hasson's list, accused Trump of inspiring Hasson and stated: "This is pretty simple. It's all on the president's shoulders. It's all the president's fault." Former
Republican National Committee chairman
Michael Steele accused Trump of silence on Hasson, stating "I guess I kind of at this point have reached the 'my glass is no longer half-full,' it's just overflowing with all the crazy that comes out of Trump. Why would we be surprised that a self-proclaimed nationalist would not speak out against a self-proclaimed white nationalist? Why are we acting like this is a space that Donald Trump is gonna go in on behalf of the American ideal? No, he's not. ... These are his people, alright? And he's not gonna thank law enforcement because he's probably not happy about what law enforcement did." Vegas Tenold, author of the book
Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism wrote an
op-ed on
The Guardian titled "The neo-Nazi plot against America is much bigger than we realize" about Hasson and other far-right domestic terrorists. Hasson's rights to Coast Guard benefits and retirement pay were terminated following his conviction, and Coast Guard Commandant
Karl L. Schultz said, "Any semblance of hate, bigotry or advocacy of violence has no place in our Coast Guard. This includes involvement with
white supremacist or extremist groups of any type." ==Personal life==