2 weeks ago
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FBI agents say they have foiled a possible attack on a US pro-Israel group apparently timed to take place on the first night of Hanukah.
Officers arrested Forrest Kendall Pemberton after he allegedly travelled to the city of Plantation in Florida to scout the local offices of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) and tried to return later with “concealed” firearms.
He is now facing federal charges of stalking and is accused of traveling to the organization’s offices with the intention of “killing, injuring, harassing, and intimidating” people working there.
Court documents obtained by CBS say Pemberton was traced to a hotel about two miles from Aipac’s Florida address on 22 December. Prosecutors say he was in a ride-share vehicle in Tallahassee on 25 December, the first day of Hanukah, with three firearms, including an AR-style rifle, and ammunition when law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle.
While the charging documents do not specifically name Aipac, they cite the target organisation as having a mission statement that is the same as that of the group, while quoting identical language from its website. Aipac has a listed address in Plantation.
Investigators who interviewed Pemberton the day after his arrest quote him in an FBI affidavit as saying he targeted the organization “because of its political influence” and due to his “frustration with the status quo”.
Asked if he planned to stage a mass casualty event followed by his own suicide, Pemberton reportedly answered: “I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught or not. If caught, that was a way out.”
He told them that he “ultimately decided against” taking “criminal action”.
The justice department documents says officers acted after receiving a tip off from Pemberton’s family who had found a note in he said he wanted to “close the loop”, “stoke the flames” and say “goodbye”. His father told investigators that he might be carrying an AR-15 rifle, a 9mm Luger pistol, and a Galil rifle with him, weapons matching those officers later found in his possession.
Pemberton has been remanded in custody until a federal court hearing in Gainesville scheduled for next Monday.
In a statement, an Aipac spokesperson said: “We take these threats very seriously and we are working closely with law enforcement concerning this matter. We will not be deterred by extremists in pursuing our mission to strengthen the relationship with America’s valued ally, Israel. We are deeply appreciative of the FBI’s work to stop this individual.”
