Wednesday December 12, 2018
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Three members of an Illinois militia group accused of bombing a Minnesota mosque will have their federal cases consolidated for trial in Minnesota.
Michael Hari, Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris were arrested in March in connection with last year's explosion at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington. No one was injured in the attack.
The men face federal hate crime charges. After their arrests, authorities say McWhorter told FBI agents that they wanted to scare Muslims out of the country.
They are also charged with federal crimes in Illinois, including the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic.
The Star Tribune reports Morris pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court in St. Paul. His attorney tells The Associated Press the plea speaks for itself and he had no further comment.