Police in Oklahoma City have charged a 24-year-old man who they say planned to cause panic at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest, where he was arrested with eight smoke bombs that look like sticks of dynamite.
Brandon Lara was stopped at Sunday’s protest after police officers spotted him in the crowd with a bandana over his face and backpack across his chest in a suspicious manner.
Lara, who claimed to be part of the anti-government ‘Sovereign Citizen’ movement, which is recognized as a domestic terror threat by the FBI, was arrested on terrorism hoax charges after police found commercial-grade smoke bombs in the backpack.
Police claim Lara planned to set off the smoke bombs to cause chaos at the protest, which was attended by more than 2,000 people, and he was not at the event as a participant or to be sympathetic towards Black Lives Matter.
Police said Lara refused to identify himself and claimed to be part of the ‘Sovereign Citizen’ movement.