Prescott, Arizona – A federal grand jury charged 58-year-old Mark Prieto of Prescott, Arizona for allegedly plotting a mass shooting targeting Black people in Atlanta this spring. The indictment revealed that Prieto sought to incite a “race war” before the 2024 election by planning the attack to specifically target African Americans and other non-White individuals. The elaborate scheme involved discussions with individuals who turned out to be an FBI source and an FBI undercover agent, leading to Prieto’s arrest.
Throughout the months of January to May, Prieto discussed his racist motives and desire to send a hateful message by carrying out the attack at a rap concert, where he believed Black people would be present. The FBI Special Agent on the case noted that Prieto was adamant about leaving Confederate flags at the scene and shouting derogatory phrases during the planned attack to make his racially motivated intentions clear.
Prieto allegedly made detailed plans with the FBI source and undercover agent during their meetups at gun shows in Arizona, where he also sold two rifles to the undercover agent. The indictment outlined Prieto’s intentions to incite a race war before the upcoming presidential election and his belief that the government would impose martial law following the election.
Experts in extremism and political violence have pointed out the deep historical roots of such ideologies in the United States. Alvin Tillery Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Diversity at Northwestern University, highlighted how white supremacist demonstrations have resurfaced in a more open manner in recent years, leading to cases of political violence fueled by racial hatred.
Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, mentioned that cases like Prieto’s are indicative of the current state of political violence in the country. The rise in far-right neo-Nazi ideologies has led to an increase in individuals planning acts of mass violence with the hope of triggering widespread chaos and violence.
Despite Prieto’s alleged reconnaissance work and plans to attack a mosque later in the summer, law enforcement officers intervened when they stopped him in New Mexico as he was traveling to visit his mother in Florida. While Prieto denied intending to carry out the attack in Atlanta, the evidence presented in the indictment painted a different picture of his intentions.
As the case unfolds in the legal system, the alarming details of Prieto’s alleged plot shed light on the persistent threat of racially motivated violence and extremism in the United States today.