Tennessee man who was working with militias planned to act as a sniper and attack Southern border, feds say

A Tennessee man who planned to travel to the Southern border with an arsenal of weapons and explosives to “stir up the hornet’s nest” was arrested Monday, federal officials say.

Paul Faye, who told undercover agents that the United States was “being invaded” by illegal immigrants, has been charged with selling an unregistered firearm suppressor, according to a criminal complaint filed this week by federal prosecutors in Nashville.

He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. Faye will appear in federal court on Feb. 12 for a detention hearing.

Faye’s public defender could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday night.

Faye had been on the FBI’s radar for a year, and late last year, he told an undercover FBI agent that he was coordinating with militia groups from Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and planning to travel to the border, the document states. He said he planned to meet up with a person who could make explosives to take to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the court document.

His aim was to “stir up the hornet’s nest” and garner significant media coverage, the complaint said.

“What I hope happens. Is called a domino effect. I want, I want the news to find out about it,” Faye said, according to the criminal complaint.

Faye also allegedly conveyed to the FBI employee that one of his roles within the group traveling to the border was to serve as a sniper.

He said “his talent was ‘sending rounds down range,'” the complaint said.

During an April 1 meeting with three undercover employees, Faye “discussed his belief that the government was training to take on its citizens, and more specifically, that the federal government was allowing illegal immigrants to enter the United States to help the government,” the complaint said.

The next month, on a recorded phone call with an undercover employee, Faye warned that, “The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded. We are being invaded,” according to the criminal complaint.

On Jan. 11, Faye allegedly sold an undercover FBI employee an AK-47 rifle suppressor for $100 that was not registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, the complaint said.

That day, two undercover agents met with Faye at his home and showed them his “war room,” according to the criminal complaint.

The room was full “numerous firearms, a large amount of ammunition, radios, and a bulletproof vest,” the complaint said. He invited the undercover agents to hold numerous weapons that included a Creedmoor rifle, multiple AR-15 rifles and a shotgun, the complaint said.