Arizona Man Suspected of Plotting Mass Shooting at Bad Bunny Concert to Incite Race War
Mark Adams Prieto at a gun show in Phoenix with two rifles, one slung over his shoulder and another carried in hand.
An Arizona man has been indicted on firearms trafficking charges after allegedly plotting to "incite a race war" ahead of the 2024 presidential election by committing a mass shooting at a rap concert in Atlanta, Georgia, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced.
Mark Adams Prieto, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, and unregistered possession of a firearm.
According to the indictment, between January and May of this year, Prieto spoke with two people who were working with the FBI about his plan to commit a mass shooting of Black people and other minorities at a rap concert scheduled for May 14 and 15 in Atlanta in order to spark a "race war" ahead of the presidential election.
The specific concert was not named by the U.S. attorney's office, but Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny was scheduled to perform at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on those dates.
Prieto then sold two rifles to one of the FBI informants, an AK-style rifle on Feb. 25, 2024, and an AR-style rifle on March 24, 2024.
The FBI was monitoring Prieto's movements throughout their investigation, and on May 14, he was stopped by law enforcement while driving east from Arizona through New Mexico on Interstate 40.
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Prieto was allegedly in possession of seven firearms, and was taken into federal custody.
A search warrant executed at Prieto's home in Prescott allegedly turned up additional firearms, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
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If convicted, Prieto faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of firearms trafficking and transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, as well as up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the unregistered possession of a firearm count.
TMX contributed to this report.
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