Former U.S. Marine, Chance Brannon, pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal charges related to the firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in California, as well as plotting other acts of domestic extremism. Brannon, who was an active-duty Marine at the time, admitted to hurling a Molotov cocktail at the clinic's entrance on March 13, 2022, with the intention of scaring pregnant women, deterring doctors and staff from providing abortion services, and inspiring similar acts of violence.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the attack, but the clinic did sustain fire damage and had to reschedule approximately 30 appointments. Federal prosecutors revealed that Brannon had considered other targets, such as the Anti-Defamation League in San Diego, before settling on the Planned Parenthood clinic. Furthermore, he confessed to planning a second attack on a different Planned Parenthood clinic with his co-defendants, Tibet Ergul and Xavier Batten.

Prosecutors disclosed that Brannon and Ergul discussed starting a race war by targeting an electrical substation to disrupt the power grid in Orange County. Brannon was found to possess an operation plan and gear list for the substation attack, including a specific rifle with a racial slur written in Cyrillic and a video of the 2019 mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Brannon and Ergul were apprehended in June 2023, just two days before an LGBTQ Pride night celebration was scheduled to take place at Dodger Stadium. Authorities uncovered evidence that the pair had researched how to attack the event, including the use of a remote-detonated device. Brannon also shared a World War II sabotage manual with Ergul and discussed the possibility of conducting "dry runs" to survey the stadium. Additionally, he researched the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada described Brannon as an exemplification of the insidious danger posed by domestic extremism. Estrada emphasized the importance of protecting the American people from violent extremist ideologies.

During his guilty plea, Brannon admitted to charges of conspiracy, malicious destruction of property by fire and explosives, possession of an unregistered destructive device, and intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility. Two of these charges carry mandatory minimum sentences of five years in federal prison. Brannon's sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2024.

Brannon's guilty plea follows his arrest in June 2023 and subsequent indictment. While Brannon has taken responsibility for his actions, his co-defendants, Ergul and Batten, have denied the charges against them and are slated to stand trial in March 2024. Brannon is not required to testify against his co-defendants as part of his plea agreement.

The guilty pleas have shed light on the disturbing plans and intentions of these individuals, highlighting the ongoing threat of domestic extremism in the United States.