Arizona man arrested for planning to incite race war with mass shooting at ATL rap show

In Arizona, a man was arrested in May for planning to carry out a shooting at a rap show in Atlanta. His plan was to start a race war.

According to WSB-TV 2 AtlantaMark Adams Prieto sold guns to people in preparation for a race war before the 2024 presidential election. Arrested on orders of the United States Department of Justice, Prieto was indicted by a federal grand jury, result of a months-long investigation by the FBI.

The investigation into Prieto began in October 2023, as a reliable source revealed that Prieto “expressed a desire to incite a race war ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.”

The investigation led to conversations at gun shows in which he began advocating the mass execution of “blacks, Jews or Muslims.” The insider told the FBI that “Prieto believes martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting is expected to occur before martial law is implemented.”

Prieto was monitored from January to March and sent undercover agents to talk to him, eventually revealing his idea. Prieto did not have a show identified but focused on Atlanta, the State Farm Arena and the African American community. Court documents quote him saying:

“The reason I say Atlanta. Why, why is Georgia so [expletive]-active status now? When I was growing up, it was one of the most conservative states in the country. Why not now ? Because as crime got worse in Los Angeles and St. Louis and all these other cities, all the [expletives] I left those (places) and moved to Atlanta. That's why it's not so great anymore. And they've been there for a few years, several years.

Part of Prieto's plan was to leave behind Confederate flags as a sign that “whites” are the enemy across the country and planned to shout “KKK all the way.”

Prieto was arrested while driving through New Mexico while visiting his mother in Florida. He carried seven guns. A search warrant executed at his home uncovered additional firearms, including an unregistered short-barreled shotgun.

He faces charges of firearms trafficking, transferring a firearm for the purpose of committing a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Justice officials said each conviction for gun trafficking and gun transfer for a hate crime carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Additionally, a conviction for possession of an unregistered firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Each charge can also result in a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.

Being convicted of possessing an unregistered firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.