American Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Aiding Hezbollah and Arson

A federal court in Tennessee has sentenced 28-year-old Rigan Darby Fryer to 17 and a half years in prison. Fryer was convicted of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah and of racially motivated arson. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Fryer obtained a document containing personal details of over 35,000 Israeli citizens and government employees. He then transferred this information to an individual he believed was acting on behalf of the terrorist organization, adding a chilling message: "Start the hunt." In addition to his attempt to aid Hezbollah in harming Israelis, Fryer was also found guilty of setting fire to the Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee. The center is a non-profit research and education institution historically associated with the civil rights movement. Fryer admitted in April to traveling to the center and igniting its main building with an improvised explosive device, causing significant property damage. Before fleeing the scene, he sprayed the "Iron Guard" symbol, a Romanian Nazi-fascist movement, in the center's parking lot to make his intentions clear. During his interrogation, Fryer confessed that his actions were motivated by white supremacy and a deep opposition to the center's educational activities and values. In addition to his prison sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release, the court ordered Fryer to pay $1.289 million in restitution for the extensive damages he caused to the building.