Story highlights Three men allegedly talked about filling four vehicles with explosives

They are charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction

Hillary Clinton says plot an affront to all Americans

(CNN) Three men face domestic terrorism charges for allegedly plotting to bomb an apartment complex occupied by Somali immigrants in southwest Kansas, the US Department of Justice said Friday.

The men had talked about filling four vehicles with explosives and parking them at the four corners of the apartment complex in Garden City to create a large explosion, the DOJ said in a news release.

About 120 Somali immigrants live in the complex, CNN affiliate KWCH reported , and acting US Attorney Tom Beall said one of the apartment units served as a mosque.

The trio, members of a militia group that calls itself The Crusaders, wanted to "wake people up," the DOJ said. They were stockpiling weapons and planned to release a manifesto after the explosion, Beall said at a news conference.

"These charges are based on eight months of investigation by the FBI that is alleged to have taken the investigators deep into a hidden culture of hatred and violence," acting US Attorney Tom Beall said. "Many Kansans may find it as startling as I do that such things could happen here."

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