Arizona man indicted for planning mass shooting at Atlanta concert to ‘incite a race war’

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A federal grand jury indicted a man from Prescott on Tuesday for selling guns for use in a planned mass shooting at a crowded concert in Atlanta.

Mark Adams Prieto, 58, is facing several charges relating to planning an attack at a Bad Bunny concert at State Farm Arena in May. He planned to target African American and other minority concert-goers in order to incite a race war before the 2024 US Presidential Election, an FBI Phoenix Field Office spokesperson said.

The indictment against Prieto alleges that he discussed the plan with two undercover FBI agents between January and May this year. He did not know the agents were undercover and instead thought they shared his extreme beliefs and wish for a race war.

His plan targeted performances by Bad Bunny on May 14 and 15 at State Farm Arena, Atlanta’s multi-purpose arena with a concert capacity of nearly 16,000.

After further discussion with the undercover agents, the indictment alleges Prieto sold two rifles to one of them: an AK-style rifle on Feb. 25 and an AR-style rifle on March 24. The FBI was monitoring Prieto’s movements throughout its investigation.

Prieto was stopped by officers on May 14 while driving east on I-40 from Arizona through New Mexico. He had seven guns in his possession and was taken into federal custody. In a search of his Prescott residence, officers found additional weapons, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

His indictment includes charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm.

If convicted on the charges of firearms trafficking and transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, Prieto faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. If convicted of possession of an unregistered firearm, Prieto faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, along with assistance from several local and national agencies. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona with assistance from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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