Arizona man accused of planning mass shooting at Bad Bunny concert in Atlanta to 'incite a race war' – WABE

An Arizona gun dealer sold guns to an undercover federal agent he believed could help him carry out his plan for a mass shooting targeting minorities at an Atlanta concert hall, an attack which he hoped would “incite a race war,” according to a federal report. grand jury indictment.

Mark Adams Prieto was indicted Tuesday by the Arizona grand jury on charges of trafficking in firearms, transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Court records do not list an attorney able to comment on Prieto's behalf. An attorney who briefly represented Prieto after his arrest last month in neighboring New Mexico did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

The indictment says the 58-year-old from Prescott, Arizona, recruited the undercover FBI agent and an informant at a gun show where Prieto was a salesman.

According to the indictment, Prieto told them he had been planning for some time to carry out a massacre of minority groups in order to “incite a race war” before the November presidential election. Prieto then identified a rap concert in Atlanta on May 14 and 15 for the attack, according to the indictment. Rapper Bad Bunny performed at State Farm Arena on those nights without incident.

The indictment says planning for the shootings began in January and took place over several months at gun shows in Arizona, including in Phoenix and Tucson. According to the indictment, at the gun shows, Prieto sold the FBI agent two rifles for use in the shooting.

Prieto was arrested in New Mexico on May 14 – around the time of the Atlanta concert – while driving east from Arizona. Authorities said they found seven firearms inside his vehicle.

After his arrest, according to court records, a U.S. district judge in New Mexico ordered Prieto to remain in federal custody, saying “the severity of the danger to the community is extreme” if he were to be released.

Patrick Saunders of WABE contributed to this report.