Richard Tobin of Brooklawn accused of conspiring to initimidate minorities – Courier Post

Retired Cpl. Joseph Logue talks about receiving a mortgage-free home in Collingswood on Wednesday. Adam Monacelli, Cherry Hill Courier-Post

CAMDEN A Brooklawn man whose computer allegedly held a video of a white-supremacist attack set to music faces a federal charge of conspiring to intimidate minorities.

Richard Tobin, 18,is accused of directing members of a racially motivated violent extremist group to vandalize synagogues in two Midwestern states, according to a criminal complaint filed in Camden federal court.

The complaint does not name the group but describes it as a self-styled white protection league that promotes an extreme form of survivalism and preparedness.

It alleges Tobin and other members engaged in online discussions in September that focused on recruiting prospective members, promoting the creation of a white ethno-state and encouraging violence against minorities.

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The complaint accuses Tobin of no violent crimes, but alleges documents in his computer showed how to make plastic explosives and how to arrange barrels inside a rental truck to be used as a bomb.

In a recorded interview, Tobin described once being enraged by the number of black shoppers at a Central Jersey mall, FBI Special Agent Jason Novick said in an affidavit accompanying the Nov. 12 complaint.

A Brooklawn man is charged in Camden federal court with conspiring to intimidate minorities.(Photo: Jim Walsh, Courier-Post)

"That day, he had a machete in his car, and he wanted to 'let loose' with it," Novick said.

Tobins computer, seized during a Nov. 8 raid at his home, held numerous photos, videos and Internet activity which reflects an obsession with neo-Nazi propaganda, terrorism and acts of brutal and mass violence, Novick said.

One video showed a man using a shotgun and assault rifle to kill worshippers at a mosque, while a soundtrack played Another One Bites the Dust, the affidavit says.

It notes the video was made on March 15, 2019, the day a white extremist attacked two mosques, killing 51 people, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

According to the affidavit, Tobin and group members communicated through encrypted messages, chat rooms and online platforms between Sept. 15-23.

It says a swastika and a three runic symbols used to identify the group were found painted on a synagogue in Hancock, Michigan, on Sept. 21. The temple on Michigan's Upper Peninsula is almost 1,200 miles from Brooklawn.

Similar vandalism was found one day later at a synagogue in Racine, Wisconsin, about 850 miles from South Jersey.

Tobin admitted his role in the vandalism, which he described as Operation Kristallnacht,according to Novick.

Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, was the name originally given to the widespread destruction of Jewish properties in Germany in November 1938.

Representatives of the targeted synagogues said the bigotry had brought their communities closer together.

This really is not in line with the character of this community, David Holden, president of Temple Jacob in Hancock, said in an online statement. What is more in character is the responses not just of kindness, but actual engagement by numerous people who saw what had happened and acted.

He said people with no connection to the temple pitched in to help paint, scrub and power wash."

I would like to thank the thousands of individuals who showed their love and support, Rabbi Martyn Adelberg of Beth Israel Sinai Congregation in Racine posted at the temples Facebook page.

Tobin described different emotions in an FBI interview, Novick asserted

According to the affidavit, Tobin reported that he experienced depressed feelings for the last three years, and had thoughts of suicide by cop or becoming a suicide bomber regularly."

Jim Walsh is a free-range reporter whos been roaming around South Jersey for decades. His interests include crime, the courts, economic development and being first with breaking news. Reach him at jwalsh@gannettnj.com or look for him in traffic.

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Richard Tobin of Brooklawn accused of conspiring to initimidate minorities - Courier Post