Wisconsin teen named in warrant; expert on 'red flags,' extremism
Expert describes 'red flags,' extremism
Federal prosecutors said they found a plot to kill President Donald Trump on a Wisconsin teen's cellphone. An expert said there were "red flags."
MILWAUKEE - Federal prosecutors said they found a plot to kill President Donald Trump on a Wisconsin teen's cellphone. The same teen is accused of killing his mother and stepfather, and an expert said there were "red flags."
Online rabbit hole
What they're saying:
The internet can be a force for good, but there are dark places that lurk just a few clicks away.
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"You don't have to go into the woods and find an old-school militia guy to give you a handbook from a fax machine," said Jon Lewis, a George Washington University Program on Extremism research fellow. "You can just open your phone.
"I think as that barrier to entry has gotten lower and lower, it's enabled more and more just normal, average individuals to fall down that rabbit hole that much easier."
Wisconsin teen plotted Trump assassination, 'revolution:' warrant
An FBI investigation into a Wisconsin teen, already accused of killing his mother and stepfather, revealed a conspiracy to assassinate President Donald Trump.
‘Red flags’
The backstory:
Last month, Waukesha County prosecutors accused 17-year-old Nikita Casap of killing his mother and stepfather in their village of Waukesha home. Court filings show the belief that the killings were part of a months-long plan.
"The red flags are there, right? Obsession with violence, sending these gore edits to classmates, talking openly with classmates about their desire to either self-harm, harm their parents, or both," Lewis said.
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Plot to assassinate Trump
Dig deeper:
A federal search warrant detailed material on Casap's phone related to a satanic cult, admiration of Adolf Hitler, and a plan to kill Trump to start a political revolution. There was also communication about the plan, real or not, with someone online.
"Unfortunately, you know, there is an increasing trend where you have individuals, mid to late 20s, who their goal is to create mass shooters, right?" said Lewis. "It's nihilism. It's an obsession with violence."
Lewis said violence can come from young and impressionable children, some of whom suffer from mental illness or are looking for belonging in the wrong places.
The Source: Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.