Police arrest two members of black nationalist group ‘Black Hammer’ after man found dead at commune

Suspects Augustus C. Romain, 36, and Xavier H. Rushin, 21, are in custody at the Fayette County Jail and are being held on felony charges that range from kidnapping to criminal street gang activity, police documents show.

According to police documents, suspect Augustus Romain, also known as "Commander Gazi," has been charged with aggravated sodomy, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal street gang activity, two counts of false imprisonment, and two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Suspect Xavier Rushin, also known as "Keno," faces felony charges that include two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of criminal street gang activity, two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, and obstructing and hindering law enforcement.

On Tuesday, police were dispatched to the home after a man called 911 saying he had been kidnapped by a group of people, according to WSB-TV 2.

Upon arrival, law enforcement officers said they witnessed a distressed male standing inside the garage. Nearly 10 people exited the home on Selwyn Street, but one individual remained inside.

The SWAT team entered the home and found a deceased male with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators say it was self-inflicted, WSB-TV 2 reports.

While announcing that "Gazi" and "Keno" were arrested and had been taken into custody, a member of Black Hammer claimed in a Facebook post on Wednesday that their arrests were "racially motivated."

"We wanted to update you all that Commander Gazi has been arrested and is currently being held at Fayette County Jail in Fayetteville, GA. In a targeted attack yesterday by the Fayetteville Police Department, SWAT and the FBI on the headquarters of the Atlanta chapter of the Black Hammer Party, not only was Commander Gazi arrested but also their other son Keno was arrested and their son AP shot and killed by the police," Gazi Kodo said in a Facebook post.

"We are demanding justice and are demanding the immediate release of Gazi and Keno...Gazi and all of these amazing revolutionaries have done so much to house, feed and clothe the homeless in Atlanta. Hundreds of people living on the streets have listened to Gazi's words, marched alongside them, and defended Hammers and each other when the police targeted our Black and Brown people," Kodo said.

Posts to social media announcing the pair's arrest urges supporters to donate to the group's cashapp account to assist in bailing the two men out of jail.

According to Black Hammer's website, "The Black Hammer Party exists to take the Land Back for all colonized people worldwide. We are focused on building dual contending power of and for the colonized masses. Under the leadership of the colonized poor and working class, our mission is to use our collective building power to unite, strengthen and liberate all colonized nations."

"Currently, our physical and intellectual labor is being coerced to build for the capitalist white colonial state, but it can be redirected to a noble cause. We will organize our labor to be of service to our people. Our symbol, the Hammer, represents breaking the chains of colonialism and building a self-determined future for all colonized people worldwide," the mission statement reads.