A man from Tennessee has been formally charged by a federal grand jury in Knoxville for alleged arson and explosive offenses related to an incident at the Highlander Center, an educational nonprofit. The indictment was handed down on May 7, accusing 27-year-old Regan Darby Prater of using an explosive device to set the organization's administration building ablaze on March 29, 2019, as per an announcement by the Department of Justice.
During his court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook, Prater pled not guilty. He remains in custody awaiting a trial scheduled for July 15. The attack on the Highlander Center was not only destructive in a physical sense but bore the marks of ideological extremism; Prater allegedly left behind a symbol associated with an early 20th-century Romanian fascist group, which was also visible on the Christchurch gunman's weapon during his attack in 2019.
Prater is facing a minimum sentence of five years and up to twenty years for the arson charge, with the possibility of an additional ten years for the explosive offense if convicted. The severity of these charges reflects both the physical danger and the social impact such acts of violence carry, particularly when they are aimed at institutions dedicated to learning and progress.
The FBI Knoxville Resident Agency led the investigation, receiving support from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution team includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Anne-Marie Svolto of the Eastern District of Tennessee alongside Trial Attorneys Kyle Boynton and Katherine McCallister from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. According to the Department of Justice, the crimes are being regarded as civil rights violations, an indication of the seriousness with which they approach crimes rooted in hate and extremism.
