A Florida man was arrested on a federal stalking charge last week after the FBI intercepted his plot to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)’s South Florida offices on the first night of Hanukkah CBS news reported on Wednesday.
CBS identified the alleged perpetrator as Forrest Pemberton.
Court documents obtained by CBS revealed law enforcement tracked Pemberton at a hotel less than two miles from the AIPAC’s Florida address on December 22 and later was surveilled several hours north in Tallahassee, Florida, on Christmas.
According to the court filings obtained by CBS, Pemberton was in a ride-share vehicle carrying three firearms, including an AR-style rifle and ammunition, when law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle on December 25.
In a statement obtained by The Jerusalem Post, AIPAC said it’s working with law enforcement “concerning this matter.”
“We will not be deterred by extremists in pursuing our mission to strengthen the relationship with America’s valued ally, Israel,” an AIPAC spokesperson said. “We are deeply appreciative of the FBI’s work to stop this individual.”
Prosecutors allege Pemberton was interviewed by agents on December 26 about his intentions.
FBI’s affidavit
According to an FBI affidavit submitted by prosecutors, when Pemberton was asked if he was planning a “mass casualty” event then a suicide, Pemberton allegedly responded, “Um, I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught or not. If caught, that was a way out.”
Pemberton allegedly told agents, according to the documents obtained by CBS, that he had firearms with him and the purpose of his actions were “twofold.”
“Like I said before, [I] sell ‘em if I need ‘em, but otherwise they can be used for criminal intent if I wanted to, which was my intention, such as harming another individual,” Pemberton said in the charging documents.
CBS said that according to prosecutors, Pemberton said that he chose to target the AIPAC “because of its political influence” and due to his “frustration with the status quo.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
