Courthouse Evacuated Before Hearing For Militia Leader Who Detained Migrants

SUNLAND PARK, NM - MARCH 31: A view of fencing along the border of the United States and Mexico on March 31, 2019 in Sunland Park, New Mexico. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to close the United States bo... SUNLAND PARK, NM - MARCH 31: A view of fencing along the border of the United States and Mexico on March 31, 2019 in Sunland Park, New Mexico. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to close the United States border if Mexico does not stem the flow of illegal migrants trying to cross. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal courthouse has been evacuated ahead of a hearing for the leader of an armed group that detained asylum-seeking families near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. Marshals Service said it could not immediately provide information on why the courthouse had been cleared Monday. Attorneys and court officials exited and gathered in front of the courthouse in Albuquerque.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, the militia leader who has been indicted on a weapons charge, was escorted out of the courtroom where he had been waiting to appear before a magistrate judge for a detention hearing.

He faces weapons charges stemming from a 2017 visit by an FBI agent to his home in northwestern New Mexico.

He was arrested April 20 in Sunland Park, New Mexico.

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  1. Avatar for tpr tpr says:

    Attorneys and court officials exited and gathered in front of the courthouse in Albuquerque.

    So, it wasn’t just the gallery. They evacuated the building.

    The U.S. Marshals Service said it could not immediately provide information on why the courthouse had been cleared Monday.

    Common sense suggests that someone made a bomb threat.

    Maybe it was the judge?
    Maybe one of the lawyers?
    Maybe it was family of one of the accused’s victims?
    Maybe it was one of the accused’s armed-to-the-teeth sovereign citizen “militia” brothers who, like the accused himself, believes vigilantism is acceptable and that lethal force is appropriate whenever they feel like it?

    My money’s on the bailiff.

  2. Avatar for caltg caltg says:

    Maybe it was Trump.

  3. Did they roll out the red carpet for this asshole as well?

  4. I was on a jury where they evacuated the building last year, and it was a bomb threat. They get threats all the time, but they only evacuate on ones that are viable…and with this guy they probably got something that sounded like they should take it seriously.

    We will be so much better off when the nation finally turns away from white supremacy, I hope I live long enough to see it happen.

  5. Maybe it was james o’keefe faking a mexican accent while wearing a sombrero?

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