Candidate Tried To Buy Radioactive Substance To Kill Person: FBI

MADISON, WI -- The FBI in Wisconsin says they arrested a former congressional candidate after they caught him trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill another person.

The FBI says that Jeremy Ryan, 30, tried to buy a lethal dose of an unspecified radioactive compound on the internet. He tried doing so in both March and October, the FBI is reporting. Agents arrested Ryan in the small town of Black Earth on Wednesday. He faces life in prison if he is convicted.

FBI agents have not identified the name the intended victim, nor did they specify the type of radioactive compound he sought.

Following Ryan's arrest, FBI agents searched Ryan’s home on the 300 block of Munn Road. The FBI says Ryan has been federally charged with attempted possession of radioactive material with intent to cause death.

Ryan's case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Wisconsin.

Ryan ran against Paul Ryan in the 2014 Republican primary and was defeated. Ryan also ran in the 2012 election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76, though did not win the seat. According to Ballotpedia, Jeremy Ryan "is known around the state capitol as a professional protester and political provocateur. He is the executive director of Defending Wisconsin Political Action Committee, a PAC that was involved with the 2012 recall attempt against Scott Walker, Rebecca Kleefisch and J.B. Van Hollen."

Ryan most recently lost in the 2018 primary election for Wisconsin's First Congressional District. In that race, Democrat Randy Bryce and Republican Bryan Steil advanced from crowded fields to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.

In a candidate interview with Patch prior to the primary election, Jeremy Ryan said he's a business owner, yet did not specify what type of business he actually owned. "I have been a political activist in Constitutional rights activism (particularly 1st and 4th Amendment) since 2011. But I am not a polished and groomed politician. I'm a regular guy which is what we need," he said to Patch.

Image Via FBI