The American Justice Department this week charged a man with planning an attack on an AIPAC office in Florida, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Forrest Kendall Pemberton faces charges of stalking in preparation for the planned attack. Relatives told the FBI that Pemberton had gone missing from his home in Gainesville, Florida. He also reportedly left an ominous goodbye note saying that he would “close the loop” and “stoke the flames.”
Pemberton allegedly searched for the address of a pro-Israel organization believed to be AIPAC. On December 23, he made withdrawals from four ATM machines and searched for the former address of the AIPAC offices in Plantation, Florida.
He was arrested on December 25, Christmas, after police saw him getting into a vehicle with a riffle. He turned over an AR-15 rifle, a Luger pistol and a Galil rifle to the police and admitted that he was there to "scout" the AIPAC office so he could return with weapons, not realizing that AIPAC no longer had offices at the site.
The affidavit stated that Pemberton was uncertain whether he would take his own life after committing the attack and that his decision would depend on whether he felt that he would get caught.
He said that he targeted influence because of its “political influence,” but ultimately decided not to commit the attack.
An AIPAC spokesman told JNS, “We take these threats very seriously and we are working closely 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," the spokesman added.
In November, New York Post reported that a maniac carrying a manifesto with “antisemitic rhetoric” was arrested on suspicion of connection to a potential plot to assassinate Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Jewish lawmaker.
Johnathan Lapinski, 41, was arrested in possession of firearms, suppressors, and papers containing antisemitic rhetoric. Authorities claim that Moskowitz's name was written on a 'target list' among the suspect's papers.
Moskowitz, a Democrat, represents Florida's 23rd District; he is married with children. Among other roles, he was appointed to the task force to investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Moskowitz tweeted about the arrest: "The day before the election, I was notified by the Margate Police Department, located in my Congressional District, about a potential plot on my life. The individual in question was arrested not far from my home; he is a former felon who was in possession of a rifle, a suppressor, and body armor. Found with him was a manifesto that, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the "target" list. There are many other details that I will not disclose as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation.''
