Islamic State supporter in Florida charged with bomb plot: FBI
The FBI said another Islamic State supporter was sentenced to 10 years in jail
Washington: A self-professed Islamic State group supporter in the US state of Florida was charged with attempting to set off a backpack bomb, the FBI said.
Harlem Suarez, 23, from Key West, Florida drew authorities' attention because of his extremist Facebook posts, the FBI said Tuesday.
A user of the social site contacted the police after Suarez allegedly tried to recruit them to support the Islamic State group, according to the government's criminal complaint.
"I'm gonna do the backpack that's for sure I'm gonna do the backpack," Suarez allegedly told the cooperator in apparent reference to a backpack bomb that had been discussed earlier.
Suarez later allegedly paid a cooperator to construct a telephone-controlled bomb. The complaint said Suarez intended bury the bomb on the beach and detonate it.
"I just call and the thing is gonna, is gonna make a real hard noise from nowhere," he allegedly said by phone.
The FBI said Suarez listed his Facebook "likes" as "Jihadist," "Extraordinary Prayer for ISIS," and "Prayers for ISIS: Weapons of our Warfare." Suarez had also placed an online order for an AK-47 rifle, the FBI said.
The Syria and Iraq based radical group IS has inspired a number of supporters across the world and raised the threat of lone-wolf attacks. Suarez allegedly said he attempted to contact IS in Syria but never got a response, according to the complaint.
Also Tuesday, the FBI said another Islamic State supporter was sentenced to 10 years in jail for illegally possessing a firearm.