Elizabeth Lecron and Vincent Armstrong, both 23, were indicted Thursday on conspiracy charges related to explosives and firearms, media outlets reported.
Armstrong faces an additional charge of lying to investigators, while Lecron is charged with transporting explosives in interstate commerce.
The couple were brought to the attention of law enforcement last year after Armstrong expressed a desire to conduct a violent attack, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Ohio.
Investigators found Lecron made posts on social media glorifying mass murderers like Dylann Roof and the Columbine High School shooters, the statement said. In August, the couple flew to Colorado to visit the site of the Columbine shooting, according to the statement. Lecron also allegedly began trying to correspond with Roof in prison.
Undercover FBI agents began communicating with Lecron, who allegedly told them she wanted to meet other anarchists to form a team for a bomb attack, the statement said.
The couple allegedly planned to carry out an “upscale mass murder” at a Toledo bar, but later decided to attack a farm and set animals free. Lecron allegedly said she “was willing to sabotage anything that harms the environment,” according to the statement.
Lecron allegedly told undercover FBI agents over a series of conversations that she had settled on bombing her workplace.
“So I guess I’ll talk to you when the deed is done? … I’m very excited … stick it to him man … be safe,” Lecron allegedly told an undercover agent.
Law enforcement searched the couple’s home and vehicles on Dec. 10. In Armstrong’s car, officers found a tactical vest with two loaded magazines for an AK-47, two loaded magazines for a pistol, a gas mask and printouts of instructions how to construct various bombs, according to the statement.
When searching the home, law enforcement removed a shotgun, a handgun and an AK-47 with the stock removed, the statement said.
“These arrests should send a sobering message to everyone that there is no city, large or small, that is immune to these types of hate-filled attacks,” said Toledo Police Chief George Kral.
If convicted, Lecron and Armstrong face life in prison.
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