FBI: Man scouted Cleveland locations for July 4 bombing

An American-born citizen who federal authorities say recently scouted locations in Cleveland to attack people watching Fourth of July fireworks and talked of carrying out additional bombings has been charged with trying to support terrorism.

Federal authorities said Monday that Demetrius Pitts had expressed his support for al-Qaida for more than a year and talked about setting off bombs at a July Fourth parade and later in his hometown, Philadelphia.

Pitts, , who lived most recently in Maple Heights, Ohio, was arrested Sunday after meeting an undercover agent and was charged with attempted support of a terrorist organization.

FBI agent Stephen Anthony said it was unclear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he said authorities couldn’t sit back and wait to find out.

Anthony said that Pitts, 48, had been radicalized in the U.S. but he had no information that Pitts had traveled out of the country.

Authorities first began watching Pitts in 2017, when he lived in the Cincinnati area, after he made Facebook posts threatening violence against the U.S., Anthony said. Pitts moved to Cleveland in May.

In recent weeks, Pitts also talked about wanting to travel to Philadelphia, and on Sunday he told the undercover agent he wanted to conduct reconnaissance for an attack using a truck packed with explosives, authorities said in the complaint.

Pitts told the agent that Philadelphia would be the “big target” and that the attack “will be done” on Labor Day, according to an affidavit.