A Twin Cities man described by prosecutors as an anti-government militia sympathizer with a desire to kill Black activists and liberals was arrested and charged with possessing a machine gun, a grenade launcher and illicit drugs in his home.
Darrian M. Nguyen, 50, of Anoka, was charged this week in U.S. District Court with possession of a machine gun and an unregistered firearm, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Nguyen remains in federal custody without bail in the Sherburne County jail ahead of a court appearance on Friday. A message was left Thursday with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
Prosecutors say in their criminal complaint that a paid confidential source, who has known Nguyen for several years, described him as "harboring anti-government Three Percenter ideology and desiring to be part of [that] militia group."
The source added, according to the complaint, that Nguyen had a Three Percenters flag in his garage and discussed a desire to kill liberals by blowing them up or doing the same to members of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Three Percenters took form in 2008 and often draw parallels between the U.S. government today and the British government in the 1700s, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They argue that the U.S. government is tyrannical and actively working to infringe on Americans' constitutional rights and liberties.
They believe a small force of armed individuals can overthrow a tyrannical government, and many Three Percenters engage in paramilitary training and organizing toward that end, the law center's description noted.
Several Three Percenter adherents were charged for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Also, two suspected Three Percenter sympathizers were convicted in August of plotting to abduct Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, in 2020.
