A federal jury found 35-year-old Edward Kelley of Maryville, Tennessee, guilty of major offenses such as soliciting to commit violence and conspiring to kill FBI officials. The conviction follows a rigorous three-day trial in the Eastern District of Tennessee and is the result of a comprehensive investigation by the Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force. The U.S. Department of Justice claims that the case is part of a series of post-January 6 occurrences that have revealed the contours of a sinister and pernicious conspiracy against people enforcing federal law.
Prosecutors provided strong evidence throughout the trial that Kelley, already embroiled in legal processes because of his previous role in the January 6 Capitol breach, had intensified his opposition to a deadly plan that targeted police enforcement. He had created what the prosecution called a “kill list” of FBI agents involved in his investigation into the Jan. 6 case. This list would subsequently be handed to a fellow conspirator who was enlisted in Kelley’s deadly mission, along with incendiary recordings of the targeted agents. The U.S. Department of Justice claims that strategies for this operation included assassination plans in both public and private areas, as well as the employment of drones equipped with incendiary devices and car explosives directed against FBI headquarters.
Testimony from a co-conspirator who is currently a cooperating defendant supported the validity of this plan and Kelley’s direct participation in it. According to the Justice Department’s report, Kelley even went so far as to tell colleagues that “Every hit has to hurt” and to start it, assault, and remove their office if he was detained. Every blow must be painful. The same press release claims that recordings utilized in court captured this terrifying command.
The Department of Justice has his fate detailing a potential penalty of life in prison for his offenses. Kelley was found guilty on three charges and is currently awaiting sentencing, which is set for May 7, 2025. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Kyle J. Wilson, along with trial lawyers from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, prosecuted Kelvin’s case. The Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, which included federal, state, and local agencies, led the investigation with FBI cooperation across the country.
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