Man 'preparing to commit an act of mass casualty' arrested for shooting at Democratic campaign offices

An Arizona antheral who was allegedly preparing to perpetrate an enactment of wide casualty has been arrested for shooting up a Democratic run office.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was taken into custody during a postulation halt connected Tuesday and was charged with 10 counts including committing a violent act, transgression harm and unlawful discharge, the Arizona Republic reports.

Authorities accidental helium is liable for 3 shootings astatine the Democratic Party offices successful Tempe, with the latest occurring connected October 6.

Nobody was injured successful the shootings, but prosecutors accidental Kelly's actions displayed an escalation of suspected violent enactment and helium was 'preparing to perpetrate an enactment of wide casualty.'

He whitethorn besides look further charges related to an incidental successful which helium allegedly near bas of achromatic pulverization connected Democratic run signs and hung governmental signs lined with razor blades.

Police said they started surveilling Kelly aft receiving tips from the nationalist that a conveyance caught connected surveillance camera astatine the Tempe run offices during the shootings matched that of Kelly - who was antecedently accused of stealing run signs successful 2022, Police Chief Ken McCoy said astatine a quality league Wednesday.

Officers gathered capable probable origin to apprehension him astatine a postulation halt connected Tuesday, erstwhile dozens of instrumentality enforcement unit were seen surrounding his truck, McCoy said.

They recovered galore guns successful his car, and constabulary realized Kelly did not person his cellphone connected him - starring officers to judge helium was connected his mode to 'potentially bash something,' according to the Arizona Republic.

Authorities were past seen raiding his Phoenix location connected Wednesday morning, erstwhile FBI agents recovered much than 120 guns and implicit 250,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Fox 10.

A newsman for the Arizona Republic besides heard notation of handguns being recovered successful a maestro bath harmless and agents utilizing the words 'machine gun' and 'silencers.'

Body armor was besides recovered wrong the home, according to tribunal documents, arsenic were BB guns and rifles accordant with those fired astatine the Tempe run bureau connected September 16, September 23, and October 6. 

The Democrats aboriginal abandoned the bureau for different 1 astatine an undisclosed location.

Additionally, a hunt of Kelly's Google relationship revealed searches for the code of the Democratic Party bureau successful Tempe and aggregate searches related to the probe and acquisition of assorted firearms and accessories including a hunt for a conversion kit for an AR-15.

His societal media pages besides disclosed galore posts of what authorities called 'anti-Democrat ideology,' and helium made a fig of small-dollar donations to organizations supporting erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Kelly was besides allegedly caught posting 'anti-Democratic ideology signs' astatine assorted locations adjacent his location from Monday into Tuesday 'with wide integrative bags containing a achromatic powdery substance' with a statement stating they were a 'biohazard.'

One specified motion read, successful part, 'Play anserine games, triumph anserine prizes.'

The substance was aboriginal discovered to conscionable beryllium baking powder.

'He is wanting to scare the population. He is escalating his violence, and the State believes that helium is an implicit menace to his community,' a authoritative said successful court.

Kelly's defence attorney, though, argued that his lawsuit was a retired aerospace technologist who astatine 1 constituent had top-secret clearance done his employer, according to the Arizona Republic.

He said that Kelly utilized the firearm arsenic a 'sportsman' and that nary were possessed illegally.

'I admit you whitethorn beryllium a sportsman, but I americium unclear what a grenade launcher has to bash with that,' Judge William Cathon changeable back, Arizona Family reports. 

Kelly is present facing 2 counts of unlawful discharge, 2 counts of shooting astatine a nonresidential structure, 3 counts of committing a coercion enactment and histrion counts of transgression damage.

His bail has been acceptable astatine $500,000 cash-only and his merchandise bid included location apprehension with an ankle monitor.

'I privation to beryllium precise wide arsenic the Maricopa County Attorney: threats, intimidation oregon unit toward governmental officials, nary substance what enactment they are a portion of,  is wholly unacceptable,' Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. 

Kelly had previously been accused of stealing run signs successful 2022, erstwhile Phoenix lawyer Paul Weich was moving arsenic a Democrat for authorities representative.

He said helium hired an researcher to fig retired what was happening to the signs, and was capable to drawback Kelly successful the act.

But contempt the evidence, Weich said instrumentality enforcement did not determination to apprehension him and charges were ne'er brought.

Weich said helium present fears that Kelly's quality to evade instrumentality enforcement backmost past whitethorn person pushed him to enactment further.

'We saw that helium evidently felt emboldened,' Weich said.