Busted for ‘plot’ to bomb July 4 parade

A man was arrested on charges of plotting a terrorist bombing of a Fourth of July parade in downtown Cleveland, authorities said Monday.

Demetrius Pitts, 48, who was arrested on Sunday, was bent on getting revenge on members of the U.S. military for the deaths of Muslims overseas, according to the criminal complaint.

Pitts is accused of planning to use explosives to blow up the parade and saying he wanted to target military families.

He was arrested after allegedly revealing his plan to undercover agents.

“I’m trying to figure this out,” he told an undercover agent, according to the criminal complaint. “I’m trying to figure out something that would shake them up on the Fourth of July.”

The suspect — who has a criminal record, including domestic violence arrests — also expressed a strong desire to join Al Qaeda, police said.

He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

Officials said he is a U.S. citizen who was radicalized in the country. Facebook posts indicated a desire to learn how to shoot guns and handle weapons. Pitts also allegedly expressed a desire to commit a terrorist act in Philadelphia.

The suspect was brought to the FBI’s attention in December 2015 when a Facebook profile belonging to Abdur Raheem Rafeeq sent a private message to a political commentary program stating, “f--k America and there arm [sic] forces. The USA will be destroy. Allahu Akbar.”

Investigators said they determined that Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Pitts are the same person.

In January 2017, he used the same Facebook account to comment on pictures believed to be from a jihad training camp, according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities allege that Pitts “expressed a desire” last year to recruit people to kill Americans, and stated he would have “no remorse” if he killed in the name of religion.