Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts, Plotting, Ohio 2020

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Table of Contents

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Plotting 4th of July Attack

Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts, also known as Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salah ad-Deen Osama Waleed, a 50-year-old man from Maple Heights, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, making threats against the President of the United States, and making threats against family members of the President of the United States.

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Justin Herdman, Pitts admitted to plotting an attack on families and children in downtown Cleveland on Independence Day, as well as making threats against the President and his family.

The FBI Special Agent in Charge, Eric B. Smith, said that Pitts had acknowledged his desire and plan to commit a terrorist attack supporting al-Qaeda in Cleveland during the July 4th parade. Smith also encouraged the public to report individuals espousing radical beliefs that threaten our way of life.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, between 2015 and 2017, Pitts expressed anti-American sentiments and expressed a desire to recruit people to kill Americans. In 2018, Pitts met with an FBI employee acting in an undercover capacity, where they discussed launching an attack for al Qaeda during the July 4th holiday.

Pitts searched Google for a map of downtown Cleveland and later stated, ‘I’m trying to figure out something that would shake them up on the 4th of July.’ He also expressed a desire to meet with an al Qaeda ‘brother’ and discussed blowing up a bomb in the 4th of July parade.

Pitts is scheduled to be sentenced on February 11, 2020, and under the terms of his guilty plea, he is likely to be sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to protecting the nation from individuals who adhere to ideologies that promulgate violence.

The FBI thanks the public for reporting individuals who espouse radical beliefs that threaten our way of life. Law enforcement reminds the public to report any suspicious activity and encourages the public to say something if they see something.