Coast Guard Officer's Alleged Massacre Plot is Terrifying Echo of Our Politics

Peter Bergen wrote for CNN about the danger of lone terrorists in the context of Coast Guard Lt. Hasson's alleged assassination plot against Democrats and journalists.

Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson of Silver Spring, Maryland, was arrested nearly a week ago on weapons and drug charges by authorities who said he was planning to commit mass murder. They said Hasson had a hit list, which included Democratic politicians and anchors at CNN and MSNBC.

Hasson had assembled a small arsenal of 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to a court filing by federal prosecutors.

A month before his arrest, Hasson performed Google searches such as "what if trump illegally impeached," the court documents say.

Hasson was influenced by Anders Breivik, a neo-Nazi who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, according to the court filing. Breivik had written a manifesto about the necessity of targeting political and media leaders. Hasson made a list of prominent media personalities he seemed to be planning to target, including Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo of CNN and Joe Scarborough and Chris Hayes of MSNBC, authorities said.