4 Accused of Plotting to Kill Holder, Bomb Fed Buildings, Release Toxins

Four north Georgia men accused of plotting terror attacks planned to assassinate targets, including Attorney General Eric Holder and former Rep. Cynthia McKinley, according to federal prosecutors.

The four were charged in connection with their alleged plans to bomb federal buildings and release the toxin ricin in major U.S. cities, as well as killing federal judges, and prosecutors, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Their hit list included Holder, the top law enforcement officer in the country, and former Georgia Congresswoman McKinney, a Democrat who switched to the Green Party, prosecutors said.

Alleged ringleader Frederick W. Thomas, 73, and Dan Roberts, 67, are charged with conspiring to buy explosives and possessing an unregistered silencer. Samuel J. Crump, 68, and Ray H. Adams, 55, are charged with conspiring to make and disperse ricin.

All four pleaded not guilty Wednesday during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.