A 2014 congressional candidate from Signal Mountain, who pleaded guilty last month to federal charges he planned to assault a Muslim enclave in New York he suspected of plotting a terrorist strike, once harbored similar concerns about an alleged “jihadist training camp” in Middle Tennessee, reports Andy Sher.
But Robert “Bob” Doggart, at the time an independent candidate running in the 4th Congressional District, told the Times Free Press during a Sept. 15 interview that when he went to the community outside Dover, Tenn., he didn’t see much to be concerned about.
“I called the city and county mayor and went to Dover,” Doggart said during the interview in which he discussed himself and campaign issues. “Turns out they were not much of a threat. I put it on my blog and said, ‘Don’t be concerned about this one.'”
Doggart did voice alarm about Islamic extremists in general as well as the self-styled Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. He called the group “evil personified” and demanded it be “completely destroyed.”
The mustachioed 63-year-old mechanical engineer also voiced his intent to impeach President Obama if elected, calling him a “traitor” and “coward.”
…And he boasted he had an advantage that would aid him in his effort to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., in the November 2014 general election contest.
“Mr. DesJarlais is not a handsome man. I am,” Doggart said. “That’s going to get me 5,000 votes from women.”
…Rick Shipkowski, deputy homeland security adviser for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said rumors about the Dover, Tenn., “compound” are “bogus” and that this story pops its head up about every three years.
“There is a small community, Muslims of America, outside Dover,” Shipkowski said. “It’s often referred to as the Muslims of America ‘compound.’ It’s a terrible description. It’s a community. There are some trailers, some houses. I believe there are about 20 people.”
The community is located near the Fort Campbell military base.
“They’ve been looked at by Fort Campbell, the FBI, our office, the Stewart County sheriff visits there periodically,” Shipkowski said. Dover’s police chief lives nearby and has “never had a problem,” Shipkowski noted, adding that a Nashville television reporter and cameraman visited there some years back and saw nothing amiss.
“Certainly no one would allow a terrorist camp to exist right outside Fort Campbell,” Shipkowski said.
Muhammad Mathew Gardener, spokesman for The Muslims of America, said in a statement posted on the group’s website that “Doggart is an example of the results of unchecked and rampant Islamophobia which has spread lies for years about our peaceful community. This man plotted to mercilessly kill us, kill our children, and blow up our mosque and our school.”