Ohio Aryan leader arrested on firearms charges

Spokane Spokesman Review/July 6, 2001
By Bill Morlin

White supremacist allegedly sold guns from rural Dayton home Another leader of the Aryan Nations has been arrested by federal agents on suspicion of possessing a pipe bomb and illegally selling firearms. Daniel William Kincaid, the Ohio state leader of the white supremacy group, was arrested Thursday near Dayton, Ohio, federal authorities said. Kincaid held Aryan Nations church services at his rural Ohio home, where the alleged gun sales occurred, the indictment says.

At an April meeting at Kincaid's home, court documents said, Aryan leader Harold Ray Redfeairn referred to riots in Cincinnati and urged white supremacists to shoot black rioters in the head. Redfeairn, who testified last year as a defense witness in a North Idaho civil suit against Aryan leader Richard Butler, is not named as a defendant in the criminal indictment.

Kincaid's arrest came one day before the annual Aryan Nations World Congress, which will be held this year for the first time at Farragut State Park in North Idaho. Kincaid, 55, was named in a 14-count federal indictment returned Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. He was released without bond after an appearance before a federal magistrate.

The indictment accuses him of a series of illegal firearms sales to an FBI informant beginning in October and lasting through June. The informant bought everything from a .12-gauge "street-sweeper" shotgun to a Soviet-made assault rifle. Kincaid has convictions for burglary and possession of methamphetamine, making it illegal for him to possess or sell firearms, the indictment states. "Kincaid is the Ohio Aryan Nations leader," according to related federal court papers.

They describe the Aryan Nations as "a national white supremacist organization headquartered in Idaho, with the goal of overthrowing the U.S. government." On the Aryan Nations Web site, Kincaid is listed as "Pastor Dan," with a Marion, Ohio, post office box and e-mail address. It couldn't be confirmed whether Kincaid has visited the former Aryan Nations compound north of Hayden or participated in previous parades the group has held in Coeur d'Alene.

The indictment doesn't identify the informant, but says he attended Aryan Nations church services at Kincaid's rural home near Galena, Ohio. On Jan. 14, the indictment alleges, the informant met another Aryan Nations member, David A. Godfrey. He had manufactured a pipe bomb and bought a .357 handgun from Kincaid, the indictment alleges.

The indictment naming Kincaid doesn't say whether Godfrey also faces federal charges. Federal authorities in Ohio couldn't be reached for comment Thursday evening. The handgun and pipe bomb were wrapped in an Aryan Nations flag and were taken to Kincaid's home.

For reasons that aren't explained, Kincaid took the pipe bomb from Godfrey, grabbed a lighter from the table and took the device outside. The informant was secretly wearing an electronic device that recorded conversations between Godfrey and Kincaid about the pipe bomb, federal documents say.

"Kincaid lit the fuse and threw the pipe bomb," they said. "The explosion from the pipe bomb detonating was clearly audible on the recording."

On Jan. 17, FBI and ATF agents raided Godfrey's home and seized gunpowder, pipe bomb components, Aryan Nations literature and a copy of the "Turner Diaries." The fictional account of a race war has been the inspiration for several white supremacists and terrorists, including the late Timothy McVeigh.