They aim to attack the island of Gonave, in the Caribbean, to kill all the men and turn the women into sex slaves.. The plans of two young men from Texas, 21-year-old Gavin Weisenburg and 20-year-old Tanner Thomas, were thwarted in the United States. The two American citizens, as stated in documents filed with the court, “conducted research, reconnaissance, recruiting, planning and attempted to obtain training to carry out their plans. The goal of the conspiracy was to take military control of the island of Gonave by killing all the men and capturing all the women.” Gonave is located about thirty miles northwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, and is home to approximately 87,000 people.
The two young men are accused of conspiracy to murder or kidnap people abroad and production of child pornography. They face up to life in prison if convicted of the conspiracy charges. The child pornography charge carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
The plan
The plan, however crazy, is executed in part with an unsettling rationality. Federal prosecutors allege Thomas enlisted in the US Air Force in January 2025 to obtain military training that “would assist in carrying out armed attacks.”
In August 2024, Weisenburg enrolled at the North Texas Fire Academy in Rockwall, Texas, to receive specialized training, but his project failed within 6 months.
The two took a Haitian Creole language course and did research on ammunition and weapons, including military style rifles. According to the indictment, the two planned to transport firearms, ammunition and explosives using a sailboat. Weisenburg reportedly traveled to Thailand to enroll in a sailing school in preparation for purchasing a sailboat and preparing to travel to his destination.
