The FBI arrested a 55-year-old Tennessee man named Paul Faye on Monday for possessing a firearm or silencer that wasn’t registered.
He had allegedly spoken about wanting to kill migrants at the US-Mexico border.
He told undercover FBI agents that he wanted to bring explosives and sniper rifles to the border to defend against what he saw as an “invasion” of migrants.
He mentioned that patriotic individuals would stand up, and he aimed to provoke a strong reaction or stir up trouble.
Faye was initially brought to the FBI’s attention over a year ago due to his contacts with a Tennessee militia member who was indicted.
Faye had expressed a desire to commit violence at the southern border. He had allegedly been working on attack plans for over 18 months.
Last December, he told undercover agents he hoped to coordinate with militia groups from several states to bring explosive devices to the border.
Faye has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm after trying to sell an illegal suppressor to an undercover agent.
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Public records indicate Paul Faye was previously self-employed, running a carpentry and remodeling outfit.
When weather permitted, his son says he operated a lawn care business. Faye filed for bankruptcy protection in 2016, but his petition was rejected.
Up until his arrest this week, he resided in a mobile home adjacent to his ex-wife’s property.
On Facebook, Faye’s profile bio states, “I’m a God-family country fellow who knows right from wrong.”
His son disclosed that Paul was actively posting on TikTok, recurrently viewing and sharing videos from channels critical of the government that claimed immigrants were “storming” America.
Though most of Faye’s TikTok videos spotlight his pet raccoons, one posted in February 2023 displays a patch with a Spartan helmet, two rifles, and the phrase “2nd American Militia,” which Paul labeled “my group patch” in a remark.
Paul Faye’s purported sale of a silencer to an undercover officer led to a single indictment against him. If found guilty, he could potentially be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Paul Faye Case Update
A federal prosecutor claimed that Paul Faye had spent more than a year and a half planning to go to the border to commit violence against migrants and federal officers.
The prosecutor also stated that Faye had actively recruited others to join him in similar actions.
Joseph Faye, Paul’s son, rejected the government’s accusations, calling them ridiculous.
He denied his father’s capability as a sharpshooter, citing an incident during hunting where it took multiple shots for him to hit a deer.
Joseph described his father as a chronic liar with mental health issues. He blamed an aggressive FBI investigation for provoking his father.
Both the FBI and the federal attorney declined to comment, and Paul Faye’s public defender could not be reached.
As right-wing extremism happens more, people are criticizing how police handle it.
Republicans and conservative news outlets say that charging far-right groups such as militias and Capitol rioters is too much government power.
But liberals say the police are not taking the threat from right-wing extremists seriously enough.
Joseph said the guns found in his father’s trailer were his own. He explained that he keeps his hunting rifles and firearms at Paul’s rural house, where they go hunting and target shooting.
“I’m a deer hunter. I have rifles for hunting. The only gun my dad has is an old shotgun he inherited from my grandfather,” Joseph said.
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