KEY WEST, Fla. – A man from Key West has been charged with knowingly attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against a person or property within the United States, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
According to a criminal complaint, Harlem Suarez, 23, who is also known as Almlak Benitez, caught the attention of the FBI in April after posting extremist rhetoric and promoting the Islamic State group through posts on his Facebook page.
One post read, "Stand up with us my brother. Stand up with the black flag and the AK with 10 mag, fight with us, be a gangster with us, kill our enemies and convert to Islam now in USA."
The complaint said Suarez later told an FBI informant that he wanted to make a "timer bomb."
READ: Full complaint
The FBI said Suarez purchased items for the bomb, which contained galvanized nails. The bomb would be placed in a backpack and would be detonated by a cellphone, the complaint said.
Investigators said Suarez planned to bury the bomb at a public beach in Key West and detonate it. He met with an informant Monday at a Homestead hotel and showed him the home-made bomb, the complaint said.
"There is no room for failure when it comes to investigating the potential use of a weapon of mass destruction," FBI Special Agent George L. Piro said. "The FBI and our local, state and federal partners work around the clock to prevent such catastrophic weapons from being used against our citizens. Even so, we ask the public to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to law enforcement."
According to the complaint, Suarez told FBI informants that he was making an ISIS recruiting video before the attack.
The script for the video, according to the complaint was: "I call to other brothers worldwide to create Caliphate in the Middle East. Destroy our enemies against us. Let live only who are our brothers and sisters. Send our mujahideen to a different soil with tanks, missiles grenades and other tactical needs. America soil is the past, we will destroy America and divide it in two. We will raise our black flag on top of your white house and any president on duty (cut head)."
Suarez was arrested Monday, and the FBI took possession of the inert explosive device.
The complaint said Suarez had planned other attacks before deciding on bombing a Key West beach, including a Fourth of July attack in South Beach or in Marathon.
His neighbors told Local 10 News that Suarez was a quiet man who lived with his parents and didn't talk much.
Jose Luna said he saw FBI agents inside his neighbor's apartment about 8 a.m. Monday.
"It's incredible how close we were to him, and like nobody knew," Daniela Rodriguez said.
Suarez was arraigned Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Miami.
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