Minnesota neo-Nazi claimed to make guns, bomb: Complaint

(Supplied)

A southwest Minnesota man, who authorities say is a member of a neo-Nazi group, has been arrested on a weapons charge.

Andrew Munsinger is accused of possessing ammunition as a felon in a federal complaint filed this week.

The investigation into Munsinger began a year ago, in February 2023, with a tip from an informant. The criminal complaint against him outlines a mountain of testimony from two informants along with video and audio recordings.

The tipster said Munsinger, a reported member of the Aryan Freedom Network, had multiple firearms in his possession despite being a felon. As you might guess, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) lists the Aryan Freedom Network as a "small but growing neo-Nazi group based in De Kalb, Texas." The ADL says the group uses Nazi iconography including a "Totenkopf" – used by the Nazis during World War II.

The complaint says the informant met Munsinger during a meet-and-greet event for new members of the Aryan Freedom Network in February 2023. Munsinger has identified himself as "Thor" and said he had spent time in prison for drug trafficking. Authorities say Munsinger had two felony convictions in 2007 and 2009 for drug crimes.

The tipster also told authorities that Munsinger described himself as a "huge gun guy" with ARs and handguns – and purportedly made several bigoted statements towards Black people, Jews, and Muslims. The informant says Munsinger also bragged he owned a machine shop and made "firearm parts that are not tracked" to "f--- the Jew government," the complaint alleges.

Using a phone number and license plate, authorities were able to identify "Thor" as Munsinger.

"Munsinger was particularly excited for firearms training and asked what firearms he could bring to training," the complaint reads. "Munsinger followed his questions about bringing firearms with 'What about boom?,' which [authorities believe] was a reference to Munsinger asking about explosives."

Photos included in the federal complaint showing Munsinger's gun.

Months later, the informant was at a training event through the Aryan Freedom Network and told authorities Munsinger had brought a "homemade AK-variant rifle." Again, the complaint says Munsinger made reference to his felony status, which upset another Aryan Freedom Network member, and ended with Munsinger not being allowed to continue with firearm training.

In subsequent meetings, some of which were recorded by the informant, including a two-day meeting called "Aryan Fest", the complaint alleges that Munsinger talked about building guns, hiding guns, and working to get an FN Five-Seven handgun. He also talked about learning to make "booby traps", which the complaint says Munsinger compared to claymores, which he had set up on his property.

"I keep it that way," Munsinger said of booby traps, and referencing a potential police raid. "Because if they bring the A team to come get my ass, they better bring the B team to pick up pieces of the A team."

The complaint details other claims by Munsinger, including him saying he had snuck onto the property of a prosecutor who had sent him to prison at night and "pointed a shotgun at the prosecutor" as they slept in their bed.

Authorities say Munsinger was captured on video, while building large, wooden swastikas for a ceremonial burning, talking about making a pipe bomb that "took the whole bank of the river out."

Ultimately, the complaint details the informant setting up a deal with Munsinger to make a trade for the FN Five-Seven. But as the date of the swap approached, Munsinger backed out, worrying police were watching him.

Munsinger was booked into Sherburne County Jail on Wednesday.