OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — New details are emerging about Jerry Drake Varnell, the 23-year-old suspect who federal domestic-terrorism investigators claim planned to carry out an anti-government bombing of an Oklahoma City bank.
Documents filed in federal district court state Varnell, 23, drove what he believed was a stolen van containing a 1,000-pound ammonium nitrate bomb early Saturday morning to an alley beside BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City.
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But what Varnell did not know was that the bomb was a fake, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oklahoma’s Western District said in a statement. The cell phone that Varnell believed was a detonator actually dialed law enforcement, and the getaway driver was an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI had been monitoring Varnell since December when he allegedly began discussing plans with a confidential informant about attacking the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C. Varnell wanted to carry out an attack “in a manner similar” to the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.
At times, Varnell’s statements appeared contradictory. He said he “didn’t want to kill a bunch of people,” according to the documents, but during one of the meetings with the undercover agent said “You got to break a couple of eggs to make an omelet.”
So who is Jerry Drake Varnell?
According to authorities, Varnell lived in a trailer on his parents’ property in Sayre, 130 miles east of Oklahoma City.
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In a June meeting with the agent, the documents say, he described himself as a believer in “Three Percenter” ideology. The group is an American Patriot movement that pledges resistance against the United States Government.
The group publicly condemned Varnell’s plans in a statement released on Monday. “We publicly commend the FBI who recently thwarted a potential bomb plot that would have claimed the lives of many innocent civilians at BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City,” a statement on their website read. In the statement, the group said that they were “saddened” after viewing what they claim was incorrect reporting by CBS News. They emphasize that their group is not anti-government, does not advocate violence except as a last resort, and vets its members very carefully. “We are happy to report that Jerry Drake Varnell was not a member of our organization,” it read.
On their website, the group goes on to explain their goals:
“We are NOT anti-government. In fact, we are very pro-government, so long as the government abides by the Constitution, doesn’t overstep its bounds, and remains ‘for the people and by the people.’ Our goal is to utilize the fail-safes put in place by our founders to reign in an overreaching government and push back against tyranny. We are working to preserve the intent of our government as designed. We do not intend to implement our own government. There is often a misconception that we are wanting to overthrow the government. This is simply not true and a false rumor to try and paint our movement as anti-government.”
Varnell later wrote a message that he believed would be posted on Facebook and would distinguish the bank bombing from an ISIS attack. The message said the bombing was in “retaliation” for the “freedoms that have been taken away from the American people,” the documents say.
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In a now-deleted Facebook post, Cade Varnell, who identified himself as Jerry’s brother, accused the FBI of pushing him into the plot, according to The Oklahoman.
According to plea paperwork, Varnell has a history of mental illness: He stated he was treated for schizoaffective disorder in February 2013, and was ordered to continue mental-health treatment.
Varnell is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday afternoon on a charge of attempting to use explosives to destroy a building in interstate commerce. If convicted, he faces between 5 and 20 years in prison.
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Main photo: Jerry Drake Varnell [Oklahoma Department of Corrections]
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