A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee has indicted Regan Darby Prater on charges of arson and carrying an explosive device. The charges relate to an incident at the Highlander Center, a nonprofit research and education facility in New Market, Tennessee. Prater, aged 27, is accused of firebombing the center's administrative building on March 29, 2019.
Prater appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook and pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody pending trial scheduled for July 15 in United States District Court, Knoxville.
Court documents allege that Prater was motivated by the Christchurch mass shootings of March 15, 2019. A symbol associated with the Iron Guard, a Romanian Nazi organization from World War II, was reportedly spray-painted at the scene. This symbol also appeared on the weapon used by the Christchurch gunman.
If found guilty, Prater could face between five to twenty years for arson and an additional ten years for using an explosive device during the crime.
The announcement came from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee; and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office.
The FBI Knoxville Resident Agency led the investigation with support from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The prosecution team includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Anne-Marie Svolto from Eastern District of Tennessee along with Trial Attorneys Kyle Boynton and Katherine McCallister from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.