Man Who Allegedly Planned to Bomb Synagogue Arrested

A 27-year-old man was arrested on Nov. 1 for allegedly plotting to bomb a synagogue in Pueblo, Colo.

According to court documents, the suspect, Richard Holzer, is alleged to have told an undercover FBI agent over Facebook that he wanted to start a race war and that he was going to scope out Temple Emanuel for an attack. After Temple Emanuel, he allegedly had “bigger and better” aspirations.

At the agent’s suggestion, Holzer and his friend “Skeeter” met with the agent and two other undercover agents at a Colorado Springs restaurant on Oct. 17, where “Holzer repeatedly expressed his hatred of the Jewish people.” He allegedly claimed that in October 2018, he had paid a “witch doctor” to poison Temple Emanuel’s water with arsenic material; the temple told Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) that their water was not poisoned. Holzer is alleged to have said during the Oct. 17 meeting that he wanted to send a message that “[Jews] are not welcome in this town,” saying that when he sees Temple Emanuel, “I see these little k––– kids and they have their little toys, they have their ‘Jewla hoop’ shaped like a star.”

The five of them later cased the temple, where Holzer and the agents discussed using pipe bombs against the synagogue. Holzer met with the three agents at an unspecified motel on the evening Nov. 1, where they showed him two pipe bombs and seven sticks of dynamite, all of which were not functional. Holzer allegedly called the explosives “absolutely gorgeous” and suggested that they conduct the attack shortly thereafter to avoid police. The agents then arrested Holzer.

When Holzer was taken to the police station, he waived his Miranda rights and confessed the plot to the FBI, per the court documents. “Although Holzer stated that he had not planned to hurt anyone, when asked what he would have done if there had been someone inside the synagogue when he arrived last night, he admitted that he would have gone through with the attack because anyone inside would be Jewish,” the documents state.

Holzer faces charges of domestic terrorism.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a statement that they had been tracking Holzer since 2016.

“White supremacists continue to pose a serious threat to Jews and other communities in the United States and in our own backyard as this arrest indicates,” ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin said. “We commend law enforcement for acting quickly to prevent this individual from engaging in life-threatening violence. No one should have to live in fear of white supremacy, simply because of who they are or where they pray.”