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Crime

Man Arrested in Plot to Blow Up 48 Churches in Oklahoma

Oct. 9, 2012 1:38pm Billy Hallowell

Oklahoma authorities have arrested Gregory Arthur Weiler II, 23, claiming that he was plotting to blow up 48 area churches. The startling allegation came to police attention after workers at a motel where Weiler, an Illinois native, was staying alerted them that something was awry.

The accused was subsequently arrested in Miami, Oklahoma, last week at a motel about 90 miles northeast of Tulsa, CNN reports. A worker who handled room service at the establishment told authorities that there were suspicious items in Weiler’s room.

According to an affidavit filed by Det. Jeff Frazier, the maintenance worker alerted Miami police after noticing a pile of brown bottles with cloth wicks attached by duct tape in a trash bin at the Legacy Inn and Suites, which sits just off a major interstate. A funnel and 5-gallon red gasoline can also had been dumped in the bin.

While background checks were being done on the hotel’s 18 guests, the maintenance worker accidentally walked into Weiler’s room and saw him with similar items and a Walmart receipt showing the purchase of other items, the affidavit said.

Police also found documentation that purportedly outlines the man’s elaborate plans to set off explosives at 48 local houses of worship. The documents allegedly included in the mix were: a list of churches, a map that Weiler presumably drew, directions instructing the man on how to make Molotov cocktails and a journal.

Ben Loring, assistant district attorney for Ottawa County, said that one of the journal entries points to what might be a more widespread plan to eliminate churches across America — and not just in Miami (however there’s no telling how realistic this particular threat was).

One of the entries read, ”Self-Promote for the next 4 years while beginning list of goals written out in Oklahoma having to do with destroying and removing church buildings from U.S., a tiny bit at a time — setting foundation for the years to follow.”

On Friday, Weiler — who is expected in court again on October 22 — was charged with threatening to use an explosive or incendiary device. He was also found to be in violation of the Oklahoma Anti-Terrorism Act.

Weiler’s family claims he has a history of mental illness. The man’s parents both committed suicide, and Weiler has battled drug addiction and “a lot of mental illnesses” that led to a suicide attempt in the eighth grade, said his cousin Johnny Meyers.

Gregory Arthur Weiler II Accused of Trying to Blow Up 48 Churches | Oklahoma

Gregory Arthur Weiler (Photo Credit: AP)

Ironically, despite the fact that churches were his purported target, a pastor at a homeless shelter operated by a church in suburban Kansas City, Mo., said Weiler lived there for about six months within the past year.

Doug Perry said Weiler showed no violent tendencies and was active in the group’s food pantry and various ministries, but he was clearly troubled. Among other things, he blamed himself for his parents’ deaths, Perry said.

“I knew he was in a bad place,” the minister said. He said he last saw Weiler about three months ago, when he left to take a roofing job in Houston.

While Weiler had the means to commit the crime, police are currently unsure as to just how grave the threat was.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(H/T: CNN)

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Comments (74)

I am 'We the People
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:39pm
Was this guy involved in other mass shootings? Who was funding him?

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- Chuck Stein
  Posted on October 10, 2012 at 1:48am
  How long until he is listed as another “Christian terrorist”? If ATHEISTS Eric Rudolf and Timothy McVeigh make the “Christian terrorist” list, this guy has to qualify, too.
  
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RightThinking1
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:16pm
A sick dude. Glad he was intercepted.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 5:37pm
  Ship him off to Shutter Island!
  
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Hodmokrin
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:05pm
Whats worse? A crazy guy who wants to blow up churches, or “sane” people who wish him dead because he is crazy? I watched my brother whom was always successful fall into the pit of mental illness. He went from all varsity pitcher / mechanical engineering student / Mr. U of L, to a delusional person who believed I was the antichrist, and took his own life. I certainly don’t wish anyone to know what I have experienced, but i do expect a little compassion from people whom probably call themselves “Christians”, and in the same sentence condemn a man they know very little about.

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- Fubared
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:27pm
  Yep, we don’t know that he intended on day care or bible class Sunday am. You should try this theory out in Detroit- see if you can rationalize which body part will be assaulted first and try to talk some sense to the senseless. Sorry for your loss, but having maps and made up cocktails is beyond whack job. Do you find yourself wanting to pet rabid dogs?
  
  Report this comment
- Hodmokrin
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:52pm
  No, I don’t pet rabid dogs. But you wouldn’t punch someone with downs syndrome if they spilled your coffee would you? While yes, this man was obviously dangerous, and could have hurt many people, but he didn’t – yet people on this forum are calling for his death. Every few months we hear about someone mentally disturbed doing something like this…. should we just deal with it once it happens? Or is it time more people take mental illness seriously, instead of just saying “oh just kill the crazy guy”. While it would be convenient to just kill everyone not deemed suitable for society, this is not Nazi Germany.
  
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- formidable_foe
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 5:52pm
  @Hodmokrin,
  
  You make valid points and overall, I agree with you. However, remember that many people commit horrendous acts against their fellow man every day and they are not mentally ill. One of them got sentenced today for molesting boys and destroying the reputation of a prominent Univesity’s iconic football coach.
  
  Report this comment
- usedCZARsalesman
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 6:06pm
  I’m sorry, but it’s like Ron White said…”What’s this crazy person do? He rolls his sh^t into little balls and eats crayons! Great, I’ll pay to feed and house him for life…What’s THIS crazy person do? He murders innocent, productive members of society! Well, I guess he should rolled his turds into little balls and ate crayons, cause the penalty is much less severe!”
  
  Anyone who is so mentally disabled that they ARE going to hurt/kill others, must be eliminated…period
  
  Report this comment
- chips1
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:20pm
  HOD:
  Putting him on office wasn’t such a good idea either.
  
  Report this comment
- kaydeebeau
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:17pm
  Sorry for your loss and there is such a thing as an incorrigible person- consumed with evil. Are we to pat them on the head and wish them well or are we to remove their cancer from society? We have choices in this life, many chose poorly.
  
  We, as a society have turned our back on the the Cure, we have removed Him from practically everywhere and yet we wonder why in His absence evil thrives?
  
  When the Light and Truth is removed, what do we expect will fill the void?
  
  We remove the Answer, refuse to see Him and wonder why the soul of mankind is lost and desperate.
  
  The only real Hope we have, the only Change we can expect and cling to is God. When He is no longer welcome, the opposite, by default, is welcomed – and we see these results.
  
  Pray people pray
  
  Report this comment
- FoxholeAtheist
  Posted on October 10, 2012 at 12:10am
  Wait a minute. I just got through reading an article that said heaven is a wonderful place and no one wants to leave when they get there. Either you want to go or you don’t. Make up your mind. Either you can do wrong or you can do no wrong. Which is it?
  
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Frodo RinosBane
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:56pm
Let’s just drop this guy off in Afghanistan. We don’t need him any more.

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FANGS
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:54pm
Current Acorn activist, democrat voter, OWS attendee

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Black Manta
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:48pm
The people that need the medication is the people that can’t see what he sees and call him crazy…

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- Fubared
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:37pm
  Whoa now zen master. Story said he had cocktails made up and maps. You need group therapy to get inside his head more, for some reason? Kumbaya, kumbaya… He could have started in chitown or Detroit and nobody would have noticed for a long time. Sad, to be so sad, sad to say.
  
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Chester62
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:41pm
Such a waste, this guy should be re-trained to blow up mosques and a support fund will readily be available!

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- roostercogburn
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 5:30pm
  Hey, I would donate..
  
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zoro51
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:34pm
shove dynamite up his ass light it n send him to hell DEED DONE OVER WIHT NO PLAYING COURT exterminate NOW we do this there would be LESS crime in america PERIOD

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bornagaincowgirl
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:09pm
Thank God this evil plan never materialized. satan has been trying since the beginning of creation to destroy the church. This poor fellow was merely used as a pawn in his hand. The true church of God is not a building, nor is it anything made by man’s hands, and it will never be destroyed.

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yiska8
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:59pm
48 churches!!
Liberalism is a mental disorder.

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- M13
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:07pm
  I didn’t know Encinom was from Illinois.
  
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- thegreatcarnac
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:43pm
  M13……..LOL……good one…
  
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The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:32pm
So ONE guy is trying to blow up 48 churches across a state.

Remember those 6 buffoons who couldn’t blow up 1 single bridge? There were 6 of them. SIX.

This guy doesn’t even deserve to be labeled a terrorist, he’s just a moron.

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KickinBack
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:32pm
Haircut: $13
w/Shave: $15
Wife-beater shirt: $2
Obama voter: Priceless

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grimmster
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:29pm
Can we just euthanize these pos’s…….Less than a month away from the rise of the zombies……..

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liberalism_is_mental_retardation
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:29pm
What’s crazy is he picked the wrong part of the country to do this. I’m from the area and it is a big big conservative area.

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- Ruckus_Tom
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 4:50pm
  Since his goal was blow up churches it seems to me he picked a pretty good starting point. There are a lot of churches in Oklahoma – as there are in other conservative parts of the country.
  
  They won’t have far to take him after the courts get through with him and find him insane. Miami, Oklahoma, has one of the state’s funny farms.
  
  Report this comment
OniKaze
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:25pm
“Instructions to make Molotov cocktails….” Does anyone NEED instructions to make those?? I mean, isn’t simple enough that you DON’T NEED INSTRUCTIONS???

If this guy needed instructions, then he couldn’t possibly be smart enough to carry out his plan… Heck, I bet he needs instructions in order to tie his shoes, or operate the hotel television…

I could be wrong, but I don’t think this guy was dangerous in the slightest…. He seems WAY to stupid to be dangerous to anyone other than himself….

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- Oneirishman
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:38pm
  But what if he had instructions for matches too?
  
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- Git-R-Done
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:05pm
  Oneirishman – And here you hypocritical atheists lecture us on tolerance and diversity when you have no problem with violence being committed against Christians.
  
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coyote1hell
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:21pm
He got a letter from the DNC, offering him a job. No shovel required…….

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cessna152
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:20pm
See, it’s those crazy Christians bombing Churches and hateful Tea partiers…oh wait. There is no way this could be a loving atheist could it?

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- lilium479
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:26pm
  I wonder who he’s gonna vote for? hehehe
  
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nueces
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:18pm
Sub-human trash. Throw him in a hole and forget about him. Obummer will probably pardon him.

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- Walkabout
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:44pm
  ““I knew he was in a bad place,” the minister said.”
  
  I’ll go with the minister. I doubt that that psychiatrists can find anything wrong with him along Axis I, but they might not yet have the tools.
  
  The minister from Kansas City seems like a really great guy, but some chrsitians can rub peple wrong. The whole you’re going to hell if you don’t beleive how we beleive. That is a real downer. Considering his parents committed suicide & he beleives he is responsible. I would suspect anguish over where his parents ended up is the proximate cause of his actions. I think this is a one-off.
  
  The whole beleive or else thing is tough. It caused the whole controversy with Limbo. Limbo & what happened to people who have not heard the word before the coming of chrsit or befor emissionaires is a real big sticking point. It is important to discuss. To have some Christians telling you that they are saved but you & yours are not, is a downer. Of course this issue will not go away. I suspect therer are many pastors who do a much better job on this point than others. Some pastors & many beleives (?) create a lot of hate. They actually make it harder.
  
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floridareader
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:16pm
Did the alphabet TV media already accused him of being a Tea Party member?

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progressiveslayer
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:12pm
Both his parents committed suicide and he tried and failed to kill himself,they’re all nut jobs.

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NoNannyState4me
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:08pm
Uh oh, another white dude. Napolitano is goin’ to jail all the white folk soon ’nuff.

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- progressiveslayer
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:16pm
  Nah Jan’s too busy allowing illegals into our country.
  
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FaithfulFriend
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:00pm
Guess he didn’t get enough charity, so figured he’d burn stuff down.

Be careful my friends, it’s going to get dicey.

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Geo_Kat
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 1:58pm
Oh wait, I thought the crazy Christians were the violent ones.

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- pinostabaum
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 6:03pm
  didnt watch the video, did you? he IS a crazy christian.
  
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- Git-R-Done
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:24pm
  Pino – It’s obvious that you lack listening comprehension skills. The video said he joined a religion. It didn’t specify which one. There’s also no proof that he stayed with them. If anybody is a threat to this country, it’s you atheists.
  
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bgotts27
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 1:51pm
Ah, yes. Isn’t it good to know that those who don’t like churches are such good, law-abiding citizens.

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13th Imam
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 1:48pm
Once the article said he lived off the largess of a church for 6 months, I knew he was a DEMOCRAT. They live to use other peoples hard earned money while trashing them . Obamaphone candidate? Mentally ill, confirmed he’s a DEMOCRAT

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- golfer8805
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:08pm
  You aren’t playing with a full deck.
  
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- TSUNAMI_22
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:15pm
  @ golfer8805
  
  Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a card-game. Actually, it’s not a ‘game’ at all.
  
  Report this comment
- 13th Imam
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:39pm
  Is that you Barry?If you play golf like you throw a ball, well, now I understand your inferiority complex.
  
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- Fubared
  Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:43pm
  13th
  You know better than to use logic and empirical data. Perhaps the poor misguided yoot will rehab and start hunting golfers and we can get a good chuckle.
  
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