White supremacists in Washington are currently under investigation after planning to weaponize the current public health crisis with infected saliva, spray bottles and other items laced with infected saliva.
The group is well-known for their interest in bio-terrorism and federal investigators are concerned about the group's perpetuation of public fear surrounding the virus.
Federal investigators regularly track the neo-Nazi group through Telegram, a communication app commonly used across the group. In recent conversations on the app, the group discussed purposefully spreading the viral disease, in the hopes of infecting minority groups and law enforcement specifically.
Their plans detailed the use of saliva, which they would place in spray bottles and other laced items. Besides spraying people directly, they meant to infect areas commonly touched, such as door handles, elevator buttons and socially common areas at federal offices an in "non-White" neighborhoods.
An intelligence brief presented by the Federal Protective Service read:
"[They] suggested targeting... law enforcement and minority communities, with some mention of public places in general."
"Violent extremists continue to make bio-terrorism a popular topic among themselves. White Racially Violent Extremists have recently commented on the [virus], stating that it is an 'OBLIGATION' to spread it, should any of them contract the virus."
The document dates back to late February, and contains evidence that the extremist group was already taking the virus seriously, at a time when government officials were not.
Though the Department of Homeland Security did not comment on the evidence from February, they did indicate that the group is one of the major domestic threats facing the United States. The group is now being tracked, in its movements and planning, particularly regarding their plans to further exacerbate the pandemic.
Onlookers on Twitter are mutually disturbed and angered by the group's plans.
Though their plans were disgusting and racially-charged, it appears efforts are being made to stop their efforts.
The public is reminded to stay home whenever possible, to avoid touching unnecessary objects or their face and to wash their hands whenever it's required to touch a public surface, door handle or button.
