‘Atomwaffen’ hate group leader convicted on five counts — including conspiracy: report

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington announced the conviction of the "Leader of the Neo-Nazi hate group Atomwaffen" on five federal felonies for a conspiracy to threaten journalists and employees of the Anti-Defamation League.

Following a two day trial and 90 minutes of jury deliberations, Kaleb Cole, 25, of Texas was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Seattle of conspiracy, three counts of mailing threats and one count of interfering with protected activity, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

"According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Cole, and other members of Atomwaffen participated in a plot to intimidate journalists and others by mailing threatening posters or gluing the posters to victims' homes," DOJ announced. "The group focused primarily on those who are Jewish or journalists of color. Kaleb Cole created the posters, which told the recipients that 'you have been visited by your local Nazis.'"

The threats occurred in January of 2020.

"In January 2020, the coconspirators printed and delivered or mailed the posters to journalists or others the group was targeting. In the Seattle area, the posters were mailed to a TV journalist who had reported on Atomwaffen, and to two individuals associated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In Tampa, the group targeted a journalist, but delivered the poster to the wrong address. In Phoenix, the poster was glued to a bedroom window at the residence of the editor of a Jewish lifestyle magazine," DOJ announced.

Images of the flyers were included in charging documents.