A Florida resident has been charged with attempting to damage religious property and using a weapon of mass destruction after an undercover operation led to his arrest on April 29, 2016 in Hollywood, Florida.
James Gonzalo Medina, 40, was initially charged on May 2, 2016 with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction – an explosive device – at a synagogue in Aventura, Florida.
According to allegations contained in the original complaint, in March 2016, Medina came to the attention of the FBI due to his conversations about attacking a synagogue in South Florida. The FBI was able to gauge Medina’s interest in the plot and collect evidence through the use of a confidential human source (CHS), to whom Medina expressed anti-Semitic views and identified the Aventura-Turnberry Jewish Center in Aventura as the target of his attack.
Medina faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of knowingly attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against a person or property within the United States and attempting to damage religious property.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Division and the South Florida JTTF. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc S. Anton and Karen E. Gilbert of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A complaint and indictment are merely accusations, and Medina is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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