After a three-day trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, a federal jury found 35-year-old Edward Kelley of Maryville guilty of conspiring to kill FBI workers. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Kelley with Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, Influencing a Federal Official by Threat, and Conspiracy to Murder Federal Employees.
United States District Judge Thomas A. Varlan is set to sentence Kelley, who was found guilty of serious federal offenses, to a possible life sentence on May 7, 2025. Kelley’s incriminating actions occurred while he was previously awaiting trial for his involvement in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, during which he created a “kill list” of FBI agents who were involved in the investigation into his actions.
As Kelley stressed in recorded statements, “Every hit has to hurt,” conspiracy details surfaced in court, exposing his plot to use drones rigged with incendiary devices and car bombs to target the Knoxville FBI office and its staff. Every blow must be painful. The FBI-led Knoxville Joint Terrorism Task Force, which included federal, state, and local organizations, worked together to secure his conviction.
Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI’s Nashville Field Office described the threat as “very real,” adding, “Today’s guilty verdict is a culmination of the tireless efforts of our dedicated employees and the invaluable partnership we have with our law enforcement partners.” United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III emphasized the importance of law enforcement safety, saying, “There simply is no room in society for those who would engage in this kind of reprehensible conduct and threaten to assassinate FBI agents and others who are honorably serving to uphold the law.”
The case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Kyle J. Wilson of the Eastern District of Tennessee, was supported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and a team from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, demonstrating a coordinated effort to combat violent extremism threats in the country.
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