Biography
Mark Neiweem — anti-NATO summit arrestee, Chicago, May 2012. Charged under Illinois terrorism statute with solicitation to make a Molotov cocktail; pleaded guilty to a reduced count and sentenced to three years.
In the days surrounding the May 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, the FBI and Chicago Police arrested a series of activists in raids tied to anti-NATO protest organizing. The 'NATO 3' (Brian Church, Jared Chase, Brent Betterly) became the headline case after being charged under Illinois state terrorism statutes. The 'NATO 5' designation is sometimes used to include two additional men arrested in parallel raids — Sebastian Senakiewicz and Mark Neiweem — on charges that critics described as informant-driven entrapment. Several other anti-NATO arrestees were later swept up on protest-related charges. All were held at Cook County Jail in Chicago; some were transferred to Stateville or to IDOC custody after conviction.
Actual release verified October 13, 2026: The Nuclear Resister's December 12, 2013 report, quoting his lawyer and support coordinator, confirms release from Pontiac that morning. It explains that prison discipline delayed the earlier projected parole date. December 12 replaces the estimated November release. WBEZ's May 20, 2012 court report places his arrest on the preceding Thursday, May 17. The separately stored initial jail-admission month is not promoted to an exact day simply from the arrest date, and the unsupported exact 549-day total has been removed.
