The attorney for a Cleveland man portrayed as the mastermind in an alleged plot to buy explosives and kill government employees has appealed a recent bond decision.

Frederick W. Thomas, 73, of Cleveland was denied bond by Magistrate Judge Susan S. Cole last month, along with three other Northeast Georgia men, for what prosecutors say was a thought-out plan to kill members of the Department of Justice and others.

But earlier this week, Thomas' attorney Jeff Ertel said in an appeal that his client has never had a previous run-ins with the law and is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Thomas, along with Emory Dan Roberts, 67, of Toccoa, are charged with conspiring to obtain explosives and possessing an unregistered silencer.

"Mr. Thomas contends his medical condition along with his long-standing law-abiding personal history indicate he is not a danger to the community," Ertel stated in the appeal.

Also charged in the plot are Samuel Crump, 68, and Ray Adams, 55, both of Toccoa. They face counts of conspiring and attempting to produce the biological toxin, ricin.

During a three-day bond hearing, Ertel argued his client's extensive health issues prevent him from being a threat and that he never had any intention of carrying out the attacks he is accused of plotting.

Prosecutors, though, say the four men took concrete steps toward following through with those plans.

At the conclusion of the hearings last month, each attorney representing the four accused men indicated they planned to appeal the ruling.

Currently, though, only one other attorney has filed an appeal. Defense Attorney Dan Summer, who represents Crump, appealed the ruling two weeks ago.

Ertel could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.