William Keebler
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office via AP
A Utah man was charged this week for plotting to bomb a Bureau of Land Management building in Arizona. The failed attack was orchestrated by William Keebler, who knew LaVoy Finicum, spokesman for the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Keebler heads up a militia group called the Patriot Defense Force. The FBI infiltrated that group, and learned of Keebler’s bomb plans when he asked an FBI agent to build the bomb.
According to the criminal complaint, Keebler targeted a remote cabin located near the land where Finicum held grazing permits. Keebler knew Finicum, and officials said the two men scouted the federal facility together in October of last year.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Keebler also attended Finicum's funeral in February. Finicum was fatally shot in a confrontation with police during the Malheur occupation.