Federal prosecutors had asked that Mr. Hasson be sentenced to 25 years in prison. In a court filing, they said that Mr. Hasson was inspired by racist murderers, stockpiled assault weapons, studied violence and intended to “exact retribution on minorities and those he considered traitors.”Prosecutors said that Mr. Hasson had identified as a white nationalist for more than 30 years and had, in writing, advocated “focused violence” in order to establish a white homeland. “Christopher Hasson intended to inflict violence on the basis of his racist and hateful beliefs,” Robert K. Hur, the United States attorney in Maryland, said in a statement Friday. “As long as violent extremists take steps to harm innocent people, we will continue to use all of the tools we have to prevent and deter them.”Mr. Hasson’s lawyer, Elizabeth G. Oyer, did not immediately respond to messages on Friday. In a court filing, she had asked that Mr. Hasson, who has been detained since his arrest nearly a year ago, be sentenced to time served followed by three years of supervised release.

Source: New York Times February 01, 2020 00:45 UTC