'Fringe folks': Inside the 'concerning' conspiracy targeting Doppler 'weather weapons'

CNN reports a violent militia-style group is targeting Doppler weather radar towers, believing them to be dangerous weather control devices.

Emails from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s security office reveal the group Veterans on Patrol, which the Southern Poverty Law Center defines as an anti-government militia organization, views the National Weather Service network of Doppler radars as “weather weapons.”

“This group is advocating for anyone and everyone to join them in conducting penetration drills on NEXRAD sites to identify weaknesses which can be used to ultimately destroy the sites,” the email stated, using an acronym for the weather radar network.

READ MORE: Trump ally reportedly set to arrest journalists who revealed his secret pact with gangs

“The group referred to the NEXRAD system towers as ‘weather weapons,’ and claimed there were no laws preventing American citizens from destroying the ‘weapons,’” the email states.

The email, sent to the general National Weather Service workforce on May 1, was unclear about what the group believes the radars are capable of doing. The emblematic ball towers of NWS’ NEXRAD, or “next generation radar,” network have been in place since the 1990s and detect precipitation in the atmosphere.

Tower sensors can also pinpoint the presence of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms and prepare the way for life-saving storm warnings and intervention. The Federal Aviation Administration and the US Air Force system also use the system for anticipate weather.

“We obviously deal with some fringe folks every now and then (chemtrails mostly), but specific threats to target facilities is pretty rare,” one anonymous NWS staff member told CNN. “Given the general temperature of the country right now, this is stuff is especially concerning.”

READ MORE: Trump just issued a threat to all of us

Among other actions, NOAA’s security office advised NWS implement a buddy system when working at remote sites and to be alert for suspicious activity.

Read the full CNN report here.