Alleged “Red Legs” member charged with having Molotov Cocktails

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man suspected as being part of a violent extremist group is scheduled to appear before a federal judge after being charged through criminal complaint in Kansas City, Kansas, for illegally possessing explosive devices. 

According to court documents, Jarred G. Gilliam, 31, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with possessing destructive devices.

The exact starting date is unknown, but from about June 3, 2025, and continuing until about June 3, 2026, Gilliam is accused of having three destructive devices commonly known as Molotov Cocktails.  

According to court documents, Gilliam is a suspected member of Red Legs, a group which promotes committing violent attacks on government agencies and the military. Gilliam is accused of using an encrypted messaging application to communicate with other suspected Red Legs members to plan assaults using incendiary devices. The proposed targets include local and federal government entities and property, particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Missouri National Guard, and political groups.

According to the complaint against Gilliam, the following are communications sent through the messaging app:

• “If ice moves to kc, thoughts on an armed response”
• “It wouldn’t make sense to panic now, the time for panicking has long passed. Now we must make our peace, arm ourselves, and prepare to do what is necessary”
• “After we build our ranks and adequately arm ourselves, we can look into escalation”
• “I recommend we start slow at first. Maybe some basic sabotage… We should locate abandoned warehouses where we could potentially secure seized armor… First, we need to find a way to track military shipments, we don’t want to derail the wrong train”
• “What are the chances we could get away with using drones to drop incendiary’s [sic] to demolish key infrastructure”
• “I like the idea of using drones carrying cocktails to demolish key structures…Frozen water areas.”

The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance Monday, June 8, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Jennifer B. Wieland of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

During this investigation, several other alleged Red Legs members were identified including Lake Ethan Roberts, 26, of Kansas City, Missouri, who is being federally prosecuted for possession of unregistered destructive devices by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.