Arizona man arrested for alleged plot to incite race war at Bad Bunny concert — MercoPress

Arizona man arrested for alleged plot to incite race war at Bad Bunny concert

Mark Adams Prieto, a 58-year-old Prescott, Arizona resident, was arrested last month on federal charges related to an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a concert by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny in Atlanta, Georgia. Prieto, who allegedly attempted to incite a race war, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of gun trafficking, transferring firearms to commit hate crimes and possessing unregistered firearms.

According to the Justice Department, Prieto revealed his plans to an undercover FBI agent and an informant, detailing a plan to target “blacks, Jews or Muslims” at a concert by the reggaeton artist Puerto Rican Bad Bunny. The indictment reveals that Prieto's conversations with FBI collaborators took place from January to May of this year, during which he outlined his intention to provoke a race war before the 2024 presidential election, anticipating that martial law would be declared after the vote.

The FBI complaint says Prieto, a gun salesman, met the undercover agent and informant at the Crossroads of the West gun show in Arizona. During their interactions, Prieto identified a rap concert scheduled for May 14-15 in Atlanta as his target. These dates coincided with Bad Bunny's “Most Wanted Tour” performances in the city. Prieto chose this event specifically because of the large African-American audience expected.

Prieto's plan was meticulously detailed. He intended to use two semi-automatic rifles, a bolt-action sniper rifle, and smoke grenades to maximize chaos and casualties. He suggested they travel to Atlanta in advance to store the weapons near the concert venue. “We need to bring them together. And some of them may try to come out around the corner, and those we have to hammer,” Prieto reportedly said, according to the FBI statement. He also sold the undercover agent an AR-15 rifle for $2,000 in cash, to use in the attack.

Prieto was arrested May 14 in New Mexico while driving east. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying seven firearms. Authorities later discovered additional weapons at his Prescott residence, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Prieto admitted knowing the informant and the undercover agent and admitted discussing attack plans. However, he claimed he had no intention of going through with it and was on his way to Florida to visit his mother.

If convicted of gun trafficking and transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime, Prieto faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both . Possession of an unregistered firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

This arrest highlights the ongoing problem of gun violence in the United States. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 214 mass shootings in the United States this year, defined as incidents in which four or more victims, excluding the shooter, were injured or killed.