NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A Tennessee man was arrested on Monday for allegedly planning a violent attack against federal agents at the U.S.-Mexico border with the assistance of several militia groups. Paul Faye of Cunningham is facing charges for possessing, selling, or transferring an unregistered firearm after an undercover investigation that lasted almost a year.
Faye reportedly expressed his desire to “stir up the hornet’s nest” at the border and collaborated with militia groups from Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. According to the criminal complaint filed in Nashville, he hoped that news of the violence would trigger a “domino effect,” leading others to support his effort at the border.
He allegedly wanted “the right kind of news” to find out about the planned attack. Faye believed that the U.S. government was “training to take on its citizens” and intended to use migrants crossing the border as part of its scheme.
During an in-person meeting at his home last month, Faye allegedly showed his “war room,” containing numerous firearms, ammunition, radios, and a bulletproof vest. He also sold an unregistered silencer to an undercover agent for $100, leading to his arrest this week, according to authorities.
Authorities were first alerted to Faye following the arrest of another Tennessee man, Bryan Perry, who faces multiple charges for plotting to travel to the border to shoot Border Patrol agents and migrants crossing into the U.S. A search of Perry’s cellphone revealed communication with Faye, expressing a desire to travel with Perry and another person to the border to commit acts of violence.
Perry and Jonathan O’Dell, a Missouri man arrested with him following a shootout with federal authorities, are currently being held without bond. A public defender listed as representing Faye did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.