Authorities arrest suspect over alleged terror plot with ‘multiple targets’ in Southern California

Federal authorities say they have thwarted a domestic terror plot targeting several locations in the Los Angeles area, according to the Los Angeles Times.

{mosads}The suspect, described as a U.S. military veteran, reportedly was the target of an online sting operation involving federal and local law enforcement and was arrested by the FBI, according to the Times, citing a law enforcement official.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the suspect is Mark Steven Domingo of Reseda, Calif. The DOJ also said that he received what he believed to be a live bomb from undercover law enforcement.

Domingo, who had recently converted to Islam, reportedly wanted revenge for the March attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people. He reportedly had several specific targets, including one in the Long Beach area, according to the Times. “It sounds like he tried to connect with other like-minded folks online,” a law enforcement source told the newspaper.

Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the FBI, the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Long Beach Police Department are scheduled to make remarks at a press conference scheduled for 4 p.m.

The announcement comes days after a shooting at a San Diego synagogue, which authorities have described as a hate crime, left one dead and several others injured.

Domingo planned to detonate an improvised explosive device “for the purpose of causing mass casualties,” law enforcement said. Domingo initially considered attacks targeting Jewish people, churches and police officers before deciding to detonate a nail bomb at a rally scheduled to take place over the weekend in Long Beach, according to the announcement.

“Domingo, a former U.S. Army Infantryman, wanted to use improvised explosive devices against innocent civilians and he selected components that would make the bombs even more deadly to the victims he targeted,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement.

“His arrest today mitigates the threat he posed to others in the Los Angeles community. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and arrest,” Demers added. 

Updated at 3:50 p.m.