Neo-Nazi impersonated a rabbi and tried to enter a Jewish center in Nashville

He arrived at the  Gordon Jewish Community Center wearing an obviously fake beard and sidecurls and filmed himself entering the building and being confronted by a security guard; Keith Garland has a criminal record, and was charged with criminal trespassing and assault  

A Tennessee man suspected of membership in a neo-Nazi organization was arrested in Nashville after posing as an Orthodox rabbi and trying to enter a Jewish community center. According to Nashville police, the suspect, Keith Garland, 31,arrived at the city’s Gordon Jewish Center wearing an obviously fake beard and sidecurls, and wearing a black coat and white scarf – attire designed to make him appear to be an ultra-Orthodox rabbi.
In the stunt that took place last week, Garland entered the center’s lobby, carrying a cell phone, and approached the reception desk, where he approached a staff member and asked to speak to a rabbi. He reportedly held his phone in a manner that appeared to be recording or broadcasting the meeting. When told that there was no rabbi present, he ignored the comments and continued toward a secured door, which was momentarily open after two community members entered that area of the center. Center staff noticed his attempt to enter and blocked him from entering.
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קית' גרלנד. ביקש לראות רב
קית' גרלנד. ביקש לראות רב
neo-Nazi Keith Garland posing as a rabbi to enter a Jewish center
(Photo: Nashville police)
A security guard who was called to the area approached Garland and ordered him to leave; but, according to the police report, Garland continued to ask to see a rabbi and refused to leave. During the confrontation, the security guard noticed Garland looking at a gun he was carrying, which made him fear he would try to take control of it.
The security guard was able to get Garland out into the parking lot and escorted him to the exit gate. A West Nashville police officer arrived shortly after and detained the suspect for questioning. Garland claimed he had no intention of harming anyone and that it was an "internet prank." Since no weapon was found on him and he had not broken any laws, the officers allowed him to leave the scene after giving him a warning.
However, further investigation by the Nashville Police Department's Threat Unit, in coordination with the Jewish Center's team and the District Attorney's Office, led to the decision to file charges against him. On Thursday evening, he was located in Maryville, Tennessee, and extradited back to Nashville.
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קית' גרלנד מתוך השידור החי שהעביר
קית' גרלנד מתוך השידור החי שהעביר
Keith Garland from his livestream on a neo-Nazi channel
(Photo: Nashville police)
Garland is charged with criminal trespassing and assault. The court set his bail at $250,000. Over the weekend, it became clear why the police returned to arrest Garland. The investigation revealed that he is affiliated with the neo-Nazi organization Goyim Defense League, the group that marched with swastika signs through the streets of Nashville last summer and shouted antisemitic, racist and homophobic messages.
According to local prosecutors, Garland uses a Telegram profile that describes him as "cooking Jews and feeding them to humans." Garland allegedly used the same profile to describe the events on the day of the incident to his friends in the organization's group chat - "I put on the rabbi costume and went into their Jewish building to harass them... and the guy went crazy," he wrote.
He live-streamed to the group the footage of the armed security guard escorting him out of the center.
"Just stop, okay, I'm leaving," the suspect shouted. One of the people on the livestream asked, "Is his gun out?" Garland replied, "Yeah, he's going to shoot me. He's going to shoot me. I'm recording." His friends in the chat urged him to flee the scene, but Garland replied that the security guard was going to shoot him.
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קית' גרלנד. נעצר וכתב אישום הוגש נגדו
קית' גרלנד. נעצר וכתב אישום הוגש נגדו
Kieth Garland was arrested and indicted
(Photo: Nashville police)
A separate video posted to the same Telegram group chat earlier this month showed Garland in the same rabbi costume at the Nashville Holocaust Memorial, mocking the massacre of six million Jews. “We are here at the memorial for all Holocaust victims — if they are even real,” he said in an exaggerated New York accent. The caption promised: “I’m going to do a pretty funny stunt in the next few days.”
Local police said they are continuing to review Garland's background. "For all of these reasons, we are concerned about public safety," the district attorney added. "We are also concerned about whether or not this individual will ever return to court."
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According to police records, Garland was convicted of aggravated assault in 2012. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to a fatal hit-and-run that killed an elderly man in a wheelchair. He later pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing a handgun without a license.
Garland is the third member of the Goyim Defense League to be arrested in Nashville in the past six months. Ryan Scott McCann, a neo-Nazi from Canada, was arrested on assault charges in July following a confrontation between members of the organization and a bartender at a downtown bar. McCann was caught on video hitting the bartender with a swastika flag pole he was carrying. In September, David Aaron Bloyd was arrested for making an online threat to kill Nashville County Attorney Glenn Funk.
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