Seattle police remove weapons from neo-Nazi organizer

Police have taken weapons away from a man involved with a neo-Nazi group, who lives north of Seattle.

The federal government flagged Kaleb Cole as a threat to public safety and then asked the Seattle Police Department to step in.

Seattle and Arlington police used Washington's red flag laws to confiscate Cole's firearms, including an assault rifle, at the end of September.

The 24-year old in Snohomish County is known to be involved with recruiting people for white supremacist activity.

"The individual not only was espousing hatred and white supremacist views, but was actively participating in training camps, was engaged in rehearsals of attacks, seeking new people to join and commit acts of violence," says Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.

Holmes says while people are allowed the right to free speech and gun ownership, Cole has shown "a pattern of threats of violence". That's grounds to have guns removed in Washington state under the extreme risk protection order law.

The group he's involved with, Atomwaffen, is said to idolize Hitler and Charles Manson, and have used hate speech toward Jewish people, the LGBTQ community, and people of color.

Holmes says Cole appeared to be training people for a "race-war".

His firearms are removed for one year.