New US Terror Attack Thwarted in Wake of Anti-Semitic Synagogue Shooting
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Authorities have arrested a 26-year-old US Army veteran who's accused of planning terror attacks in California. Investigators believe he plotted to detonate a bomb at a Long Beach rally over the weekend.
Investigators arrested Mark Steven Domingo, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan. They say he converted to Islam and wanted revenge for the New Zealand mosque attacks, and discussed his deadly plans with undercover agents he met online."
US Attorney Nick Hanna said, "The terror plot culminated with plans to bomb innocent people causing dozens of deaths and serious injuries."
Domingo lives in Reseda, California. Federal authorities took him into custody a short time after he received what he believed where explosives from the undercover agents.
"He allegedly purchased several hundred three-inch-long nails to be used in IEDs as shrapnel, specifically because the nails were long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs," Hanna said.
The FBI says Domingo talked about targeting Jews, churches and police officers, and in addition to a Long Beach rally of white supremacists, he even talked about detonating a bomb at the Santa Monica Pier.
Domingo's family released a statement, saying they're surprised by his arrest. They also requested privacy.
This all comes as southern California continues to deal with the deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway over the weekend.
Residents on Monday mourned the loss of 60-year-old Lori Gilbert Kaye. Friends say she stepped in front of the rabbi to stop the accused gunman, 19-year-old John Earnest.
Sam Hoffman, president of Chabad of Poway synagogue, said, "We stand tall against a darkness of evil and anti-Semitism in the world."
Authorities say Earnest opened fire, taking the life of Kaye, and injuring three others. Earnest was a stand-out scholar, athlete and nationally recognized pianist. The Associated Press reports his adherence to white supremacy and anti-Semitism shocked the people closest to him.
His parents released a statement, saying, "How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us."
The FBI says it did receive a tip about a threatening social media post about five minutes before the synagogue attack, but it did not say who was the author of the post or the location of the threat.
Investigators say they tried to identify the writer immediately, but the shooting took place before the suspect could be fully identified.
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