Two US men have been indicted for allegedly plotting a coup d'etat on the Haitian island of Gonâve, with the intention of committing atrocities including murder, rape, and slavery. Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, from Texas, are accused of orchestrating a plan to take control of the island, which is home to around 85,000 to 100,000 inhabitants.
According to federal prosecutors, the men's scheme involved recruiting homeless individuals from Washington D.C. to join their cause, before allegedly killing all the male population and using the women and children as sex slaves. The pair even went so far as to acquire Haitian Creole language skills and began training people on the island for the invasion.
Thomas had previously joined the US air force with the intention of acquiring military skills relevant to the plot, while Weisenburg was arrested in July after reportedly traveling to Thailand to learn how to sail. The men's alleged plan also included purchasing a boat, weapons, and ammunition, as well as enrolling in specific training schools.
The duo is charged with federal conspiracy to murder, maim or kidnap in a foreign country, which carries a life sentence if convicted. Additionally, they face charges of producing child pornography, which could land them behind bars for between 15 and 30 years.
The motivations behind the men's targeting of Gonâve remain unclear, although it is believed that their plan was driven by twisted desires related to rape fantasies. The island's lack of judicial infrastructure and its remote location may have contributed to the perceived ease of executing such a heinous plot.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, US air force office of special investigations, and local police, worked jointly to bring the pair to justice. The case has raised concerns about the vulnerability of Haiti's island communities to external threats, particularly in light of existing reports highlighting the country's struggles with crime and infrastructure challenges.
According to federal prosecutors, the men's scheme involved recruiting homeless individuals from Washington D.C. to join their cause, before allegedly killing all the male population and using the women and children as sex slaves. The pair even went so far as to acquire Haitian Creole language skills and began training people on the island for the invasion.
Thomas had previously joined the US air force with the intention of acquiring military skills relevant to the plot, while Weisenburg was arrested in July after reportedly traveling to Thailand to learn how to sail. The men's alleged plan also included purchasing a boat, weapons, and ammunition, as well as enrolling in specific training schools.
The duo is charged with federal conspiracy to murder, maim or kidnap in a foreign country, which carries a life sentence if convicted. Additionally, they face charges of producing child pornography, which could land them behind bars for between 15 and 30 years.
The motivations behind the men's targeting of Gonâve remain unclear, although it is believed that their plan was driven by twisted desires related to rape fantasies. The island's lack of judicial infrastructure and its remote location may have contributed to the perceived ease of executing such a heinous plot.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, US air force office of special investigations, and local police, worked jointly to bring the pair to justice. The case has raised concerns about the vulnerability of Haiti's island communities to external threats, particularly in light of existing reports highlighting the country's struggles with crime and infrastructure challenges.
this is like something from a bad horror movie they actually thought it was a good idea to plan something like that Interesting 
how did two young guys from Texas even come up with such a twisted plot? The fact that they were learning Haitian Creole language and training people on the island just blows my mind 
I'm glad that law enforcement was able to catch these two guys before they could carry out their twisted plan 
But, you have to wonder how someone could even think about committing such atrocities on an innocent community? And what's crazy is that these guys were planning this while the US air force guy was still training... that raises some serious questions about vetting processes and national security 
. Like, these guys planned this whole thing out, it's crazy! They wanted to take over the island and use the women and kids as slaves? That's just messed up 
. I don't get why they chose Haiti, though... maybe it was because of how isolated it is? 
. 15-30 years in prison sounds like a pretty harsh punishment for child pornography charges 
. I don't think anyone deserves that, but at the same time... these guys are seriously sick 
. We need to be more mindful of what's going on in other countries and how we can help support them 
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these two dudes are lucky to be behind bars, life sentence isn't enough for this kind of crap.
It's horrifying to think about the trauma those women and kids would have gone through. And it's not like they just pulled this out of thin air - they actually took the time to learn Haitian Creole and train people on the island, which is just so messed up 
. I don't get why we even need to talk about this... shouldn't we be focusing on preventing stuff like this from happening in the first place? 
. And the fact that they thought they could get away with it is just mind-blowing... I mean, what were they thinking?! 
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I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... it's absolutely horrific that these two guys thought they could just waltz onto Gonâve and start a coup, only to plan out atrocities like murder, rape, and slavery. The fact that they were talking about using Haitian Creole as their language of choice and even training people on the island for the invasion is just chilling.
and the beaches there are literally breathtaking 
i was thinking about how they have this amazing program for surf lessons for all ages, and it's so affordable too 
i mean can you imagine if we had something like that in the US? it would be a total game changer for mental health 
those 2 americans think they can just waltz onto a small island and start doing God knows what to innocent people? 
how could some ppl even think that rape & slavery is okay? 
and on top of all this, theyre trying to justify it by saying its about some twisted desires... like who cares about their twisted desires when there are real people at stake?! 
the justice system in america needs to do better, i mean we all know that crime is a serious issue but when ppl get indicted for something as heinous as this they should be dealt with swiftly & severely 
What were they thinking?! The fact that they recruited homeless folks from D.C. and trained them for the invasion just adds to the horror of it all... 