Jeremy Christian, the man suspected of yelling anti-Muslim hate speech at two women then killing two men who came to their defense Friday in Portland, is a "known right-wing extremist and white supremacist," the Portland Mercury reports. According to the Washington Post, the 35-year-old Christian was seen at an April 29 March for Free Speech in Portland giving Nazi salutes and yelling "n***er" while wearing an American flag for a cape. A reporter who interviewed him at the event says Christian appeared to have a "mental illness of some sort." While Christian has no known mental health history, his defense attorney from a 2002 incident also believed he suffered from mental illness, CBS News reports.
On his Facebook, Christian is a self-proclaimed white nationalist, though he argues he isn't racist. He also calls the Oklahoma City bomber a "true patriot." An "alt-right Nationalist leader" in Portland denounced Christian's alleged actions on Saturday, KATU reports. Christian was convicted of robbery and kidnapping in 2002 after he held up a convenience store at gunpoint then threatened to kill himself in front of police. He was also charged with theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2010, but those charges were dropped. Christian is now charged with murder. The victims of Friday's attack have been identified as 53-year-old Ricky John Best and 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche. A third victim was stabbed and survived. (Read more Jeremy Joseph Christian stories.)
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