Advertisement

Police: Florida suspect killed neo-Nazi roommates to stop terrorism

By Mike Bambach
According to police documents, Devon Arthurs, 18, told Florida officers he shared neo-Nazi beliefs with two roommates, Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk, until he converted to Islam. Photo courtesy Tampa Police Department
According to police documents, Devon Arthurs, 18, told Florida officers he shared neo-Nazi beliefs with two roommates, Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk, until he converted to Islam. Photo courtesy Tampa Police Department

May 23 (UPI) -- A Tampa man said he shot to death two of his neo-Nazi roommates because he'd converted to Islam and wanted to stop them from carrying out acts of terrorism in the United States, court documents show.

Police said suspect Devon Arthurs also admitted to killing Jeremy Himmelman, 22, and Andrew Oneschuk, 18, for ridiculing his Muslim conversion.

Advertisement

"He practiced some sort of radical Muslim and they were just disagreeing with his beliefs," said Alyssa Himmelman, Jeremy Himmelman's younger sister.

Authorities say Arthurs, 18, led police to the bodies of his roommates after the shooting on Friday.

"He also stated that his two deceased roommates, along with a third roommate, Brandon Russell, were neo-Nazis and that he wanted to prevent them from committing planned acts of domestic terrorism," Assistant State Attorney Ronald Gale wrote In a pretrial motion filed Monday in Hillsborough Circuit Court.

Police found Russell, 21, a Florida National Guardsman and admitted neo-Nazi, crying at the murder scene.

Russell, who officials say had a framed photo of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh on his dresser, was arrested on federal explosives charges when officers discovered a garage stocked with bomb materials.

Advertisement

Arthurs, who was arrested Saturday night, told police his three roommates planned to use the explosives in terror plots, according to court records.

Russell is being held at a federal detention center in Miami. Arthurs is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a bond hearing.

Latest Headlines