Homegrown ISIL sympathizer news
goes viral around country, world
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
The news that a Stock Island resident had been arrested for planning Islamic State-inspired bombings in South Florida didn’t take long to spread around the globe.
Mere hours after a criminal complaint was unsealed on Tuesday, charging 23-year-old Harlem Suarez of Shrimp Road with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the US, stories began popping up on major news outlets and social media, potentially giving the tourist-dependent Southernmost City a black eye.
Not long after hearing about the complaint, however, Andy Newman of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council was busy doing damage control to try to limit the fallout of the arrest on area tourism
“We did send out an advisory to the chambers of commerce who run the visitor information centers a few minutes after the Justice Department put out their news” Newman said. “And thank God for the FBI for arresting this man before he had a change to do something terrible. This morning we’ve been following up with the chambers. This is something we’ve given consideration to, and yes, the TDC has taken action.”
The TDC’s press release reads, in part:
“Terrorism, rightfully so, commands a high profile in daily news coverage and given Key West’s popularity as a visitor destination, there is likely to be significant coverage of the arrest. Keys visitor information offices and lodging entities may get calls of concerns from tourists regarding safety. Here are some suggested talking points to address any worries.
1. We are grateful to the FBI, other members of the Homeland Security team as well as our local law enforcement agencies for stopping the alleged act before it was committed.
2. Unfortunately, a terrorist act can take place anywhere in the U.S. or the world. Despite its more remote location, this is a reminder that Key West or other areas in the Keys are not fully immune to terrorism. Thus it is important for residents and visitors to be vigilant and report any suspected activity to authorities.
3. All Florida Keys local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are committed to making the island chain as safe as possible for all visitors and residents.”
Dozens in the US have already been charged with attempting to fight alongside the Islamic State and other militant groups, or with lending them material support, and Miami’s FBI special agent in charge, George Piro has said “There is no room for failure when it comes to investigating the potential use of a weapon of mass destruction.”
The feds claims that Suarez, who also went by the name Almlak Benitez, was planning to detonate a timer-detonated, nail-filled backpack bomb on a beach in Key West.
Suarez came to the FBI’s attention, they said, by way of Facebook posts praising ISIL and pushing extremist Islamist rhetoric.
“Be a warrior, learn how to cut your enemies head and then burn down the body learn how to be the new future of the world Caliphate,” Suarez posted in April, in a reference to the stated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant goal of building a fundamentalist entity.
Suarez, who once worked at Key West International Airport, later added a request, the FBI said, “from any brother. How to make a bomb send me a video or something, what do I need to make it.” He was arrested Monday at a South Roosevelt Boulevard parking lot after taking possession of an inert explosive device supplied by an FBI informant, whom he had previously provided with two boxes of galvanized nails, the backpack and a cellphone intended to be used as a detonator.
“I can go to the beach at the nighttime, put the thing in the sand, cover it up, so the next day I just call and the thing is gonna, is gonna make, a real hard noise from nowhere,” Suarez told the FBI in a recorded call, the complaint stated.
Suarez’ first court appearance took place Tuesday in Miami, where he was being held without bail.
Though Suarez had been monitored by federal authorities, he hadn’t made an explosive himself, and the complaint made no mention of contact with overseas ISIL militants.
Suarez also made an ISIL recruitment video using a script he wrote, under FBI surveillance, at a motel in Homestead, according to the complaint, dressed in a black tactical vest, a mask, and a yellow-and-black scarf.
“American soil is the past, we will destroy America and divide it in two, we will rais(e) our black flag on top of your white house and any president on duty (cut head),” Suarez’ video script said.
The FBI also says that Suarez legally ordered an AK-47 assault rifle on the internet, intending to have it delivered to a Key West pawn shop. In the event, Suarez, whose command of written English appears rudimentary, incorrectly filled out the required paperwork, and the weapon was returned to the seller.
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