A Florida man was arrested for allegedly plotting an attack at a September 11 memorial event in Kansas City, Missouri.
According to USA Today, federal authorities first became aware of Joshua Goldberg, a 20-year-old from Orange Park, Florida when he claimed to inspire the shooting at the contest for drawing Muhammad in Garland, Texas.
The May 3 event saw two gunmen fire at a police officer and unarmed security officer before the police officer shot the attackers dead.
Goldberg's Twitter account, with the name Australi Witness, reportedly made a post before the attack calling for anyone nearby to lash out with "weapons, bombs and knives."
According to USA Today, he tweeted, "I'M BACK KUFFAR! DIE IN YOUR RAGE," on the day the attack took place, and he was retweeted by one of the soon-to-be dead reported jihadists. Goldberg's original tweets are not available, possibly due to Twitter shutting down the account.
Last July, an FBI informant contacted Goldberg on social media and later expressed interest in orchestrating an attack, according to official reports.
Goldberg, who claimed online to be a Lebanese refugee living in Australia, allegedly told the informant how to make a pressure-cooker bomb similar to those utilized by the Boston bombers.
He reportedly said,
If you can, dip the screws and other shrapnel in rat poison before putting them in. That way, the kuffar who get hit by them will be more likely to die.
Goldberg also apparently said he hoped "there will be some jihad on the anniversary of 9/11" and asked the informant,
Have you decided what kind of attack you want to carry out on 9/11, akhi?
But, he eventually decided the attack should take place at the Memorial Stair Climb in Kansas City on Sunday, according to the New York Daily News.
The event features hundreds of firefighters and first responders climbing a set of stairs as a tribute to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Goldberg reportedly told the informant he chose this event because of the huge crowd it attracts.
On Wednesday, federal agents raided Goldberg's home, where he lives with his parents. He allegedly admitted to providing instructions on how to make a bomb and calling for attacks at the Texas drawing contest.
Goldberg was scheduled to appear in court yesterday and will reportedly face charges of distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction.
If convicted, he may go to jail for up to 20 years.
Citations: Fla. man indicted in alleged 9/11 memorial bomb plot (USA Today), Florida man plotted to carry out Missouri 9/11 memorial bombing: FBI (NY Daily News), Police: Men killed in Garland shooting had assault rifles, body armor (The Dallas Morning News)
