Three Virginia men were arrested after an FBI investigation uncovered that the men were making plans to attack Black churches and Jewish synagogues to incite a race war, according to federal authorities.

Robert Curtis Doyle, Ronald Beasley Chaney III and Charles Daniel Halderman when Doyle and Chaney were allegedly arrested for atempting to buy illegal firearms from an undercover FBI agent who was posing as an arms dealer trying to sell automatic weapons and firearms.

According to federal documents, Doyle and Chaney had plans to rob a silver jewelry business owner and a gun store in order to facilitate their plans to start a race war. Their plans include shooting Black church parishoners and Jewish synagogue members. Halderman was arrested for allegedly planning to help with the robbing and killing of the jewelry dealer.

The FBI received information that Doyle was planning a September meeting in his Chesterfield County, Virginia home with other extremists in order

“to discuss acting out in furtherance of their extremist beliefs by shooting or bombing the occupants of black churches and Jewish synagogues, conducting acts of violence against persons of the Jewish faith and doing harm to a gun store owner in the state of Oklahoma,”

according to federal court filings.

Doyle and Chaney met with an undercover agent in late October, placing an order to buy automatic weapons, explosives and silencers. Doyle and Chaney were arrested on Sunday for trying to exchange an undisclosed amount of cash for firearms, silencers and explosives.

Doyle and Chaney are scheduled to appear in federal court in Richmond tomorrow, while Halderman is scheduled for court on Friday. All three men have several prior felony convictions.