Federal authorities claim that an Arizona man planned to shoot black people during a Bad Bunny concert in Atlanta in an effort to start a racial conflict before the presidential election.
In order to evade detection by gun control authorities, Mark Adams Prieto, 58, was charged on Tuesday, almost a month after his detention for the alleged scheme.
The plot involved the murder of as many Black people as possible using semi-automatic guns he had acquired through cash transactions or trades.
According to an affidavit acquired by NBC News, he was exposed after a source he had enlisted to take part in the massacre alerted FBI investigators.
This resulted in a months-long investigation that came to an end when he tried to enlist an undercover agent to join the mass killing.
According to the affidavit, the source informed the FBI Phoenix that “Prieto believes that martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting should occur prior,” and that he was “ready to kill a bunch of people.”
According to reports, he chose to target Atlanta because he thought black people had congregated there and turned the city into a crime hotspot.
“The reason I say Atlanta. Why, why is Georgia such a f–ked-up state now? When I was a kid that was one of the most conservative states in the country. Why is it not now?,” Prieto stated.
According to the affidavit, he stated, “Because as the crime got worse in L.A., St. Louis, and all these other cities, all the [racial slur] moved out of those [places] and moved to Atlanta. That’s why it isn’t so great anymore. And they’ve been there for a couple, several years.”
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Over the course of three gun shows, during which Prieto extensively interacted with the source and acquired and transferred firearms for use in the shooting, he eventually brought the undercover FBI agent into the scheme.
He suggested his accused accomplices to wear hoodies when they infiltrated the crowd because he stated the clothing would not draw attention in such an environment.
He allegedly decided to target a rap concert because he thought it would draw a concentrated gathering of black individuals.
Prieto allegedly declared, “We’re going to fight back now, and every whitey will be the enemy across the whole country,” expressing his desire to shout “KKK all the way” and “no mercy, no quarter” while leaving Confederate flags at the site.
Prieto allegedly planned to hide firearms close to the event before driving across the nation to carry out the shooting. He specifically targeted events that were set for mid-May, June, or July, one of which was supposed to feature Bad Bunny.
Prieto continued to plot the shooting in March, but in April he informed the undercover agent that he would like to postpone it.
“However, he told agents that he did not intend to go forward with the attack,” as per the affidavit.
He was accused with trafficking in firearms, possessing an unregistered handgun, and transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime.
Prieto may spend up to 40 years in jail if found guilty.
