Fourth of July terrorism suspect indicted, accused of plotting attack
Suspect caught by FBI, formerly lived in Cincinnati.
CLEVELAND — A grand jury indicted a man on terrorism charges, following his arrest last year on suspicion that he plotted to park a van full of explosives near a down- town Cleveland park where spectators planned to watch 4th of July fireworks.
Demetrius Pitts, 49, is charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida. The FBI said Pitts corresponded with an under- cover agent and scoped out an area to park a van full of explosives near Vo i - novich Park on Indepen- dence day.
He also liked this location because it was near a U.S. Coast Guard station, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Celebrezze Federal Building, according to federal prosecutors.
Pitts also goes by Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salah ad-Deem Osama Waleed, authorities said. He previously lived in Cincinnati and Philadelphia and who was living at a Maple Heights reha- bilitation facility at the time of his arrest.
Grand jury indictments are generally supposed to be filed within a month of a person’s arrest on federal charges.
However, defendants can grant extensions to that dead- line, and Pitts did so. Prosecutors and Pitts’ federal public defender indicated in July that they had some discussions though did not say what the discussions entailed.
Pitts also underwent a competency evaluation, and a federal magistrate judge deemed him competent to stand trial. He also tried to fire his court-appointed federal public defender Charles Fleming, though he withdrew that request on Monday.