LAX Shooter: 'Patriot' Fanatic With Anti-Government Grudge

Paul Anthony Ciancia, accused of shooting Transportation Security Administration agent Gerardo Hernandez to death at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, wanted to "instill fear" in what he called the "traitorous minds" of TSA personnel, The New York Times reported.

In what some describe as attempted "suicide by police," Ciancia, a 23-year-old loner and drifter, left a trail of evidence that paints him as an apparent anti-government fanatic.

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JJ MacNab, who writes about anti-government extremists for Forbes, speculated that Ciancia belonged to the loosely knit "Patriot" movement and that his ten-minute shooting spree was likely motivated by hatred of the U.S. government.

MacNab points to Ciancia's one-page letter in which he referred to himself as a "Patriot" who had "made a conscious decision to kill" Transportation Security Administration employees.

The note is reminiscent of manifestos left by other anti-government extremists, including Timothy McVeigh, who bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, and Joseph Stack, who flew his small plane into the Austin, Tex., IRS building in 2010, according to MacNab.

The analyst also points to Ciancia's military-style clothing and choice of weapon, the M&P15 semi-automatic rifle, as being favored by "Patriots."

Ciancia also referenced "fiat currency" – by which believers in the New World Order conspiracy mean U.S. money that is not backed by gold reserves.

Ciancia also lashed out at former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "Patriots" view DHS as a cornerstone of the New World Order conspiracy, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

"Many believe DHS has targeted their movement and is somehow connected to the alleged construction of concentration camps by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The purported camps are thought to be meant for those Americans who resist a coming national seizure of all weapons from U.S. citizens,"  according to the SPLC.

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