A 23-year-old man was arrested by the FBI after identifying him as an ISIS sympathizer planning a bomb attack on a Key West beach. The man known as Harlem Suarez, also carrying the name Almlak Benitez, was charged on July 27. If the criminal complaint against Suarez proves he was attempting to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States, he will serve a maximum life punishment in prison, the New York Post reported.
The man caught the attention of the FBI when his posts on Facebook showed loyalty to the Islamic State. Suarez expressed that he wanted to perform attacks to an informant of the FBI. The man even sought help on the social media platform on how to create bombs stating, "send me a video or something, and what do I need to make it." He told the informant that his bomb will be blown out using a cellular phone, according to Reuters.
On July 19, Suarez reportedly bought two boxes of nails from a Home Depot and gave them to the informant together with the cellular phone and backpack. The informant told Suarez that a member of the Islamic State of Iraq will be making the bomb, USA Today reported.
Suarez planned initially to bury the backpack containing the nails in the Key West beach at night, and detonating it during the day. "So the next day I just call and the thing is gonna, is gonna make a real hard noise," recorded in from a conversation by the authorities, USA Today added.
"There no room for failure when it comes to investigating the potential use of a weapon of mass destruction," according to FBI Special Agent George Piro. "The FBI and our local, state and federal partners work around the clock to prevent such catastrophic weapons from being used against our citizens."
"Lone wolf" attacks are supported by the Islamic State, according to the International Business Times.
