Officer accused of making hit list pleads not guilty
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A Coast Guard officer accused of stockpiling guns and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and network TV journalists has pleaded not guilty to drug and firearms charges.
A lawyer for 49-year-old Christopher Paul Hasson entered the plea on his behalf Monday at an arraignment on charges of illegal possession of firearm silencers, possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful user, and possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney Liz Oyer didn’t ask for bond.
Federal prosecutors say Hasson is a self-described white nationalist and “domestic terrorist” who “intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country.”
Hasson has been detained since his Feb. 15 arrest. Prosecutors say investigators found 15 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition at Hasson’s Silver Spring apartment.