Florida man charged in plot to bomb beach

WASHINGTON: A Florida man has been charged in an alleged backpack bomb plot he planned to carry out on a public beach in Key West to show his support for the Islamic State (IS) militant group, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

Harlem Suarez, also known as Almlak Benitez, 23, of Key West, was arrested on Monday as part of an FBI sting operation and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, the department said.

According to the criminal complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was alerted to Facebook posts made by Suarez in April in which he expressed his support for IS.

An FBI informant then made contact with Suarez, who told the informant that he wanted to carry out an attack in the United States.

Suarez also posted a request on Facebook asking how to make a bomb, saying “send me a video or something, and what do I need to make it.”

In discussion with the informant, Suarez planned to make a bomb that would be detonated remotely by a cellphone, the complaint said.

The bomb, to contain galvanised nails, would have been hidden in a backpack.

Suarez was arrested when he received an inert bomb that had been prepared by FBI undercover agents.

He had also placed an online order for an AK-47 rifle, the FBI said.

It was not immediately possible to find out whether Suarez had retained a lawyer.

Numerous young men have been arrested in the US in recent months, with many plotting “lone wolf attacks” in support of IS.

Suarez allegedly said he attempted to contact IS in Syria but never got a response. – Agencies