SILVER SPRING, Md. — Alarmed that a Coast Guard officer could potentially plot a terror attack and be charged with assassination of cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, or Supreme Court justices -- FBI special agents requested four warrants to investigate Lt. Christopher Hasson of Montgomery County.
Federal authorities feared the retired Marine could be plotting ways to kill liberal members of the Supreme Court, Democratic politicians and television news anchors from CNN and MSNBC.
The concern grew from disturbing internet searches made on Hasson’s Coast Guard work computer since 2017.
In response, federal Magistrate Judge Charles Day granted a warrant to track Hasson’s Subaru for 45 days. The same judge also granted warrants for Google and Verizon to turn over data to the FBI concerning Hasson’s call history and Internet searches.
The new details are revealed in federal court documents filed this week - with Hasson's lawyer asking for much of the evidence obtained from the warrants to be suppressed.
Authorities arrested Hasson in February, but have not charged him with any offenses linked to domestic terror – such as attempted murder or counts related to weapons of mass destruction.
Hasson currently faces four charges concerning weapons and drug offenses.
In new documents released Monday, Hasson’s public defender filed a motion to dismiss three of the four counts.
Hasson is currently awaiting trial, after a judge declined to release him into family members’ custody.