Police seize weapons from reported neo-Nazi in Arlington

SEATTLE — Police have seized military-style firearms from an avowed neo-Nazi in Arlington.

KING TV reported Thursday that prosecutors and the FBI convinced a judge that, “Kaleb Cole poses a serious threat to public safety by having access and possession of firearms and a concealed pistol license,” court records say.

Records filed in King County court show officers from the Arlington and Seattle police departments seized five military-style rifles, three pistols, and other gun parts from a residence on Jordan Trails Road in Arlington. The weapons belong to Cole, the suspected leader of The Atomwaffen Division in Washington state, the records say.

Atomwaffen, which is a German for “atomic weapon,” is a small but extreme organization that seeks inspiration from Adolph Hitler and Charles Manson, who ordered mass murders to attempt to trigger a race war. Its white supremacist members claim they will not start the war but are arming themselves in preparation. Atomwaffen members have been charged in five murders in other states.

Cole isn’t charged with a crime but is named in a civil “extreme risk protection order” filed this month. The judge issued an order requiring Cole to surrender all firearms to police.

KING 5 was unable to reach Cole for comment.

Online videos show Atomwaffen members firing guns and moving through rooms at “devils tower,” a graffiti-scarred building at an abandoned cement plant near Concrete.

“This is a hate-filled human being but one who, unfortunately, possesses a large number of weapons,” said Pete Holmes, Seattle city attorney.

Court documents show that Cole traveled to Eastern Europe in December of 2018 to honor the sites of some of World War II’s most horrific scenes.

Cell phone photos retrieved by Customs and Border Patrol agents when Cole re-entered the U.S. show him posing in front of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. In the photos, Cole is holding up the Atomwaffen flag at other locations.

“Cole has been permanently banned from entry into Canada as a result of his (admitted) membership/affiliation with the Atomwaffen Division,” a Border Patrol report states.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said the order to surrender guns is the right tool when law enforcement doesn’t have enough evidence to file a criminal charge.

“In this case, the joint terrorism task force had assessed Mr. Cole and said he was somebody who was doing more than thinking and talking about his extremist, violent beliefs, but that he was actually acting on it,” he said.