Suspect in church bombing plot to be prosecuted in federal court
BY SHEILA STOGSDILL World Correspondent
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
2/06/13 at 3:47 PM
MIAMI, Okla. — An Illinois man accused of plotting to destroy 48 Ottawa County churches with Molotov cocktails will be prosecuted in federal, not state, court, authorities said Wednesday.
State charges filed against Gregory Arthur Weiler II were dismissed Wednesday after he was taken into federal custody, said District Attorney Eddie Wyant.
Weiler, 24, of Elk Grove Village, Ill., was held in the Ottawa County jail on possession of an explosive or incendiary device and violation of the Oklahoma Anti-Terrorism Act.
Weiler, who was deemed competent to stand trial in January, is now facing federal charges, Wyant said. Court records show Weiler was to appear in Ottawa County District Court on Thursday for his preliminary hearing.
Telephone calls to the U.S. Marshal Service and the federal prosecutor’s office in Tulsa were not immediately returned.
Family members have said Weiler suffers from mental illness and both of his parents suffered from drug use and committed suicide, according to published reports.
Weiler is accused of having handwritten notes in his motel room at the Miami Legacy Inn & Suite, which listed 48 churches in Ottawa County and how to make Molotov cocktails, according to an arrest affidavit.
A motel maintenance man found outside in the motel’s Dumpster a green military duffel bag that held 50 apparent Molotov cocktails inside and other explosive related material and items.
Associated Images:
Gregory Arthur Weiler
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