Authorities Foil Planned Fourth of July Attack in Cleveland, FBI Says

[DonViejo]

Source: U.S. News/Reuters




July 2, 2018, at 8:25 a.m.

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Law enforcement officials have arrested a person accused of trying to help a foreign terrorist organization's plan to attack downtown Cleveland, Ohio, on the Fourth of July, an FBI spokeswoman said on Monday.

She declined to give additional details ahead of a news conference at 9:15 EDT (1315 GMT).

Downtown Cleveland along with many other U.S. cities host fireworks displays every year to celebrate the U.S. Fourth of July holiday. Cities typically ramp up security around large holiday events.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Benkoe)

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Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2018-07-02/authorities-foil-planned-fourth-of-july-attack-in-cleveland-fbi-says

[marble falls]

1. Bet: there was no plot, just an unsophisticated loner caught in a sting. You know, the usual.

[Initech]

25. I'm guessing a white male with a couple of AKs and more ammo than a military stockpile. Got it.

[marble falls]

26. Actually a PoC, not that it males much difference. This was another person with no hope.

[Trust Buster]

2. You mean, LeBron didn't leave after all ?

[marble falls]

27. My fellow Akronite, LeBron James is without a doubt one of the more balanced and ...

collected humans I've ever known about (from news sources of course). There is nothing he owes Cleveland. He's been very involved in education in NE Ohio.

I have to admit $125M over three years hard to get.

[yuiyoshida]

3. Makes you wonder if there might be other

terrorist activities planned for July 4th, if out there, always be aware of your surroundings and what is actively happening, be prepared to take cover.

[FakeNoose]

4. I think they're blowing smoke

It's their plan to keep us frightened and cowering. We're easier to handle like that, you know, like after 9/11. That's when a lot of this bullshit started.

Just sayin'

[yuiyoshida]

8. I hope you are right

Everyone should have a safe and wonderful holiday, with out door bbq and fireworks at night! aS FOR ME, i WILL BE busy in Monster Hunter World!

[Jedi Guy]

19. I had that game and liked it, but had no one to play it with.

None of my friends from work got it, so I wound up trading it in. It was a lot of fun, though. What platform do you play on?

[yuiyoshida]

28. ps4

maybe you should get it again, i am sure we could hang out and play ..

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. No.

[B2G]

12. So do we trust the FBI or no?

It's so hard to keep up these days.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. I try to not indulge in binary thinking; black or white; all or nothing; false dichotomy. . . . nt

[B2G]

14. Well the question wasn't directed at you.

But some seem to automatically dismiss anything terror related that comes from the FBI, but enthusiastically embraces things that they agree with.

I'm sure Lantern will be along any minute to lecture us all on our biases.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. :)

[yuiyoshida]

17. Lantern? Green??

Idk, maybe DeadPool is better...

[Jedi Guy]

20. Okay, that made me laugh out loud.

Well played. +1

[LanternWaste]

23. I've been forgetting to welcome you back.

I really should do that sooner or later.

[FarPoint]

7. Or... forgive me...

The terror alert game playing by tRump like back during Bush Cheney

[yuiyoshida]

10. Fear, strengthens his base,..

that is scary!

[FarPoint]

29. This is a key tRump strategy!

You are spot on...

[still_one]

16. Glad to see you back yuiyoshida

[yuiyoshida]

18. I am spending more time in

Monster Hunter World, these days,.. its safer.. uh sorta..

[still_one]

22. AWESOME!!!!

[beachbum bob]

5. surprised that trump didn't say he single-handedly stopped it...

[DonViejo]

6. It's only 9:11 a.m., the day is still young.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. News conference update

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime--law/cleveland-terror-plot-fbi-makes-arrest-says-attack-was-planned-for-fourth-july/r97ODUG3ynjERr5gAAdtTO/

Update 10 a.m. EDT July 2: Authorities identified the man arrested Sunday on suspicion of attempting to support a terrorist organization as Demetrius Pitts, also known Abdur Raheem Rahfeeq.

Demetrius Pitts -- aka Abdur Raheem Rahfeeq -- is the suspect in an alleged thwarted July 4 attack in downtown Cleveland pic.twitter.com/6OySn6X0Qf
— fox8news (@fox8news) July 2, 2018

Pitts first came under scrutiny in 2017, after he made “disturbing” posts on Facebook in support of the Muslim militant group al-Qaida, said Stephen Anthony, the special agent-in-charge of the FBI Cleveland office.

At a news conference Monday, officials said Pitts did "reconnaissance" of downtown Cleveland as recently as last week. U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said Pitts was looking for places where he could park a van that he planned to pack with explosives.

“He talked about taking targets like St. John’s Cathedral off the map,” Herdman said. “(Pitts) wanted to strike at the values that are at the very core of our nation. He wanted us to be afraid to speak our minds. He also wanted us to be scared to gather in public places.”

[LanternWaste]

21. there are wolves.

A lot of kids wrapped up in flags crying wolf out there. But then again, there are wolves.

[Snellius]

30. He sounds like a real schizo nut case

"Pitts also suggested giving the children of military personnel remote control cars packed with explosives during the event, in the hope they would unwittingly detonate the bombs, the FBI said." What?

[Snellius]

31. Doubt he could carry out the garbage. Let alone a terrorist threat. More sick nutty stuff:

"In a June 15 meeting, Pitts described to an undercover FBI agent how he thought cutting off heads and hands would send a message. He said that’s how he would “send Donald Trump back.”

“I wouldn’t leave no type of message or nothing. It would be self-explanatory.”

Later, Pitts explained how to dispose of a body by chopping up pieces and feeding them to hogs or alligators, depending on where you were. Nobody would find the body then, he said."

https://www.cleveland.com/expo/news/erry-2018/07/b7efb473ad5661/here_are_the_threats_made_by_c.html#incart_maj-story-2