Ohio

Hide Ohio Man Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Attempting to Commit a Violent Hate Crime Attack Against a Toledo Synagogue A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio charged an Ohio man with three federal charges in connection with his plan to attack a synagogue in the Toledo area.

The three-count indictment charges the defendant with attempting to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), attempting to commit a hate crime, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to court documents, the defendant drew law enforcement’s attention in 2018 with social media posts of weapons and messages supportive of ISIS, as well as posting a photograph originally distributed by ISIS. That online activity led to multiple interactions between him and undercover FBI agents, during which the defendant stated his support for violent attacks and operations. For example, he communicated to the undercover agent his admiration for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting that occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October 2018. Additionally, the defendant discussed conducting a mass shooting at a synagogue with the undercover agent. He identified two synagogues as potential targets, discussed the types of weapons he believed would be able to inflict mass casualties, and stated he wanted to kill a rabbi. He wrote the name and address of the synagogue he selected and showed the undercover agent photos of the inside. He was arrested after he accepted two semi-automatic rifles the undercover agent told him he had purchased for the attack. The weapons were rendered inoperable by law enforcement officers, so they posed no danger to the public.

Indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ohio-man-indicted-attempting-provide-material-support-isis-and-attempting-commit-violent-hate