CHARGES: St. Cloud 'Boogaloo Boi' Plotted Attack at MN Capitol
Michael Dahlager seen in an undated booking photo via StarTribune.com
A St. Cloud man and self-described member of an anti-government extremist group known as the Boogaloo Bois has been charged with possession of a machine gun and accused of plotting an attack at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, according to new details filed in a criminal complaint.
Michael Paul Dahlager, 27, was arrested ordered to remain jailed before a detention hearing set for April 9.
The charges allege that Dahlager conducted surveillance for a possible attack while he attended a “Stop the Steal” rally at the Capitol grounds on Dec. 12, 2020. Through a confidential source, the FBI learned that Dahlager had allegedly spoken about a “willingness to kill members of law enforcement” and being in possession of both a homemade suppressor and a 3D-printed “drop-in auto sear” that converts a semi-automatic firearm into one that can shoot automatically, a criminal complaint alleged. That conversion makes the gun considered a “machine gun” under federal law.
The complaint said Dahlager is a self-proclaimed member of the generally pro-gun, anti-government group, but did not provide further details on where he allegedly made those statements.
Dahlager met with the informant and others at his St. Cloud home in Nov. 21, 2020, showing them several tactical items like body armor, an AR-15-style rifle and two auto sears which Dahlager said a friend had made with a 3D printer. He also told the informant that his home was well-equipped should law enforcement move in, noting that it was set up with several “port-holes” to see outside.
While at the “Stop the Steal” rally in December in St. Paul, Dahlager was accompanied by the informant and he took videos on the grounds, allegedly referring to his wife in one exchange: “I don’t think she realizes that she married somebody with a propensity for violence,” and that they were “doing a bit of recon” that day in preparation for defending another planned protest on Jan. 17, 2021.
On Jan. 12, Dahlager, the informant and two other “known members of the Boogaloo Bois” met at a restaurant in Rogers, Minn., the documents say, to discuss the possibility that they had been compromised by an informant. The group mentioned the FBI’s recent law enforcement bulletin warning of possible attacks by anti-government groups. Dahlager advised the group not to attend the Jan. 17 rally and instead focus on training and recruiting new members to the movement.
The reported threats of an attack at the Minnesota Capitol and at state capitols around the country never materialized. On Feb. 2, authorities allege that Dahlager provided two auto sears to the informant and demonstrated how the devices should be inserted into a firearm.
Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk announced the arrest and charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun on Wednesday, April 6. Dahlager is set for a formal detention hearing on April 9 and in the meantime, he was ordered to remain in custody.
