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FBI agents came for the threats against Boston Muslims, stayed for the gun violations

Patrick Keogan

FBI agents investigating a Wilmington man for threats he allegedly made against a Roxbury mosque and an Islamic student group at Northeastern soon discovered he was also having lots of fun with guns - which he wasn't supposed to, given that he's a convicted felon.

Patrick Keogan, 44, an electrician who works on high-voltage wires, was charged this week in US District Court in Boston with making threats against the Islamic Society of Boston and being a felon in possession of ammunition. He's the second person in a little more than a year charged with threatening the mosque on Facebook.

In an affidavit, an FBI agent who investigated Keogan wrote the case began in November of last year, when the Islamic Society of Boston contacted the FBI over a threatening message posted to the mosque's Facebook page on Nov. 14, the day after the Paris terrorist attacks:

Screen shot of burning-mosque message

Although it is not uncommon for the ISBCC to receive hateful and anti-Muslim messages, the Executive Director’s initial reaction to this post was fearful because the post occurred in the immediate aftermath of the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, which authorities attributed to Muslim extremists. The Marketing Director subsequently notified federal law enforcement authorities and removed the post from the ISBCC Facebook page per ISBCC policy. ...

In addition, on November 17, 2015, the Northeastern University Police Department received a report that a person named Patrick Keogan, with the same profile photo, posted the same threatening message on the Facebook page of the Islamic Society of Northeastern University (ISNU).

Keogan also "liked" his post on the mosque Facebook page.

The FBI looked up the screen name of the Facebook posting in RMV records and found a guy with a similar picture and a Wilmington address - and learned that in 2013, the bureau had investigated Keogan for making threats against an unspecified congressman and that in an interview, he acknowledged "he is often vocal about his political beliefs, especially when drinking." In December of last year, FBI agents chatted with Keoghan again, on the phone:

Keogan said that he had reposted the burning mosque picture on Facebook after the Paris attacks. Keogan said that he had been upset and "dicking around online." Keogan said that he was sorry and that he needs to smarten up as he is too old to act this way. Keogan also said that he does not intend to harm Muslims or commit any damage to mosques.

After getting a warrant to search all of Keogan's postings on Facebook, agents learned he'd been "dicking around" with anti-Moslem posts for several years:

The PatKeogan account contains records that approve of burning mosques as early as 2013. On or about August 30, 2013, the PatKeogan account shared a post saying that "someone vandalized the Islamic Center of Burlington's sign (that is placed at the mosque's entrance) overnight with white spray paint," about which the PatKeogan account user said "WHOEVER DID THIS I FUCKING LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1." In a comment on the post, the PatKeogan account user wrote, "I drive past thes [sic] all the time & have always wanted to run the fucking sign over."

The affidavit adds:

The PatKeogan account also contained posts deriding the Jewish faith, "brown people," homosexuals and liberals.

The agent who wrote the affidavit acknowledged that much of what he wrote is protected under the First Amendment, but said he cited it to buttress his case that the specific threats - which are not protected speech - were written by Keogan.

While browsing his Facebook posts, FBI agents found evidence he was also getting closer to guns than he should, given his status as a convicted felon - he has a 2006 conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and a 2000 conviction for OUI.

Keogan frequently posted photographs of his weapons and also discussed obtaining weapons and weapon accoutrements, building weapons, and shooting his weapons. For example, on or about June 21, 2013, Keogan posted a photograph showing the remnants of what appears to be several shaving cream cans at a rifle range, accompanied by the comment, "160 rounds thru the AR-10. Kicks like a mule, cycled 100% flawless. Took the stay puff marshmallow man down. Bled out like a stuck pig. Gongs? 20/20 every time. Sounded sweet.

BOOM-K'TING! How's the work day going? Ima go grab a cold one..."

Based on my training and experience, and taking in context the photograph and other content within the search warrant return, I understand the comment and picture to mean that Keogan shot 160 rounds of ammunition from an AR-10. An AR-10 is an assault rifle manufactured by Armalite that fires large-caliber 7.62 x 51mm (.308 caliber) rounds. ...

One of Keogan's friends responded, "I am glad to see you are buying an AR-15." Keogan replied, "I am building a Beowulf" and "It's an AR-10. 22's are for phagits." Based on the context and my training and experience, I understand that a Beowulf is a model of firearm, and that Keogan was claiming that he was building an AR-10 rifle rather than buying an AR-15 rifle, which he disparages with the term "phagit" because AR-10 rifles fire larger ammunition than do AR-15 rifles (.308 caliber versus .223 caliber (a/k/a .22 caliber)).

The affidavit asserts that sometimes, Keogan combined his love of guns with his love of hatred:

On or about September 26, 2015, Keogan posted a photograph depicting six black rifles and one black shotgun lined up on a wooden floor, with the caption "My black friends."

On or about the same day, Keogan posted a photograph under the caption "This is what I feed 'em," which appears to depict dozens of boxes of ammunition on at least five shelves with small placards that appear to identify the various calibers of ammunition, as well as ammunition on the floor. Based on my training and experience, and taking both photographs in context, I believe that the caption to the second photograph is intended to convey that he uses the firearms depicted in the first picture to shoot the ammunition depicted in the second picture.

On or about the same day, Keogan posted a photograph of what appears to be himself standing in a residence and smiling while holding an AK-47-style assault rifle attached to four high-capacity firearm magazines taped together to form a Nazi swastika, under the caption "Swastimag is best mag."

But none of this is resulted in his being charged for ammunition possession. That came from his alleged May 1, 2016 visit to a gun shop in Plaistow, NH - which the FBI knows about because by that time, they'd received a court order to put a surreptitious GPS device on his car. He chatted up the clerk for awhile, then bought "two boxes of ammunition, the plastic bags of loose ammunition, and what appeared to be several packages of beef jerky, all with cash."

The bags contained "20 to 25 rounds apiece of corroded World War II-era junk 8mm rifle ammunition."

Innocent, etc.

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PDF icon Completed Keogan affidavit263.2 KB


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Comments

"It's an AR-10. 22's are for phagits."

Guns are like religion: Best kept to yourself. I hope this guy goes away to jail forever. Three strikes and you're out.

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Based on the context and my training and experience, I understand that Keogan is an ass.

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Doubt the threat charges will stick, but the ammo charges will. All for 25 rounds of corroded 8mm WWII era ammo? What a dumb-ass. Tho that was already apparent.

50 Beowulf operates on the AR15 platform dumbass. I get the impression he did not even have firearms.

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It wasn't just old WWII junk. There were also "two boxes of ammunition."

I assume they're letting the beef jerky slide.

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...so to speak.
I perused the affidavit, they showed a screenshot of the 'burn a mosque' pic. No pics of the rifles or ammo or what I'd really like to see, how the hell he taped four mags into an ancient Buddhist symbol.

Also, the closest 'actual' proof they have is for possibly pre 1898 Moisin Nagant rifles. That might (IANAGE (gun expert)) explain the boxes and bags of 8mm rounds, which would not fit anything he supposedly had, the 7.62 or the 5.56 sizes.

What if he's just a big bullshit artist with no guns?

I guess they didn't charge him with gun possession? Also, the agent raises the possibility of protected speech. (P 8 or 9).

Clown might skate pretty good. I guess they waited for him to cross state lines. He had NO access to this stuff in Massachusetts.

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Minutiae about what they bothered to show you.

YANAL clearly. This guy ain't going to skate anywhere except MCI Ice Rink.

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A well-regulated minutiae, I'll have you know.

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“I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate. I will say that, and everybody here has reported it.”

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He's also publicly called for the President's execution:

http://fb-patkeogan.people.msnbc.com/

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be squeezing his brain in an obviously harmful way. Maybe get a tennis visor or something that allows the heat to dissipate a little better.

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an electrician who works on high-voltage wires

Perhaps that explains his behavior more than his hat does.

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you would never post of a threat to a Christian church. If you love Islam so much then why not convert? Mohammed Gaffin. So fitting in many ways.

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I'm sorry, you yutz, but you're wrong. I mean, you're just not correct. As in, you don't know what you're talking about. But do drop me a line when you find evidence I've ignored threats against churches in the Boston area.

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We live in a post-facts world, and if he feels like you don't ever post about threats against churches, then gosh darn it, you didn't make those posts.

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Commie!

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Why don't you post with at least a handle?

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I assume the handle is stuck up in a place where he can no longer reach it.

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That's hilarious. Pure gold. Did you think that up all by yourself, or did you hire a professional comedy writer?

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Otherwise, he got ripped off badly.

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Please tell us about all the threats to Christian churches in these parts. Go ahead, do.

Donald J. Anon. So fitting in many ways.

p.s. you numpty.

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I remember a couple of beheaded Virgin Mary statues recently. Does that count?

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He has no business having access to firearms, and he had no right to make threats, either. People like him are precisely the kind of people that Trump directly appeals to.

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Let's try to stick to Boston.

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Another terrorist goes to New Hampshire to arm up. The marathon bombers supplied their explosive material from NH as well. Thanks NH, I guess the live free or die motto is literal. Some Americans will die so you can "live free."

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