A Jewish-American man has been arrested for allegedly posing as a jihadist online to help plot an attack on a September 11 memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
Joshua Ryne Goldberg, 20, was arrested at his parents' home in Orange Park, Florida on charges of distributing information related to destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Authorities say Goldberg had been unknowingly communicating with an FBI informant for the past two months, instructing the undercover agent on how to manufacture a homemade bomb.
Goldberg allegedly believed he was helping to plot a Boston Marathon-style attack on the Kansas City Stair Climb, a 9/11 memorial event planned for Sunday in Missouri.
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Joshua Ryne Goldberg, 20, was arrested at his home in Orange Park, Florida and charged with distributing information related to destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction
In his online conversations with the informant, Goldberg initially claimed responsibility for inspiring the June shooting at a cartoon convention in Garland, Texas. The gunmen, Elton Simpson and Nadir Hamid Soofi, targeted the convention because there was a planned competition to draw the Muslim prophet Muhammad, which is considered blasphemy in the Islamic religion. They were the only two fatalities of the incident.
Around mid-August, Goldberg started talking to the informant about his hopes that 'there will be some jihad on the anniversary of 9/11,' according to the affidavit.
'We could make pipe bombs and detonate them at a large public event,' Goldberg tweeted to the informant, using the account AusWitness.
It was reportedly Goldberg who suggested the Kansas City Stair Climb, calling it 'the perfect place' because it would attract a large amount of people.
The event, scheduled for Sunday, involves 343 firefighters making the 110-story climb to the top of the Town Pavilion high-rise building in Kansas City, Missouri in honor of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks
Goldberg had unknowingly been in contact with an FBI informant for the past two months, devising a plan for the informant to carry out a Boston Marathon-style attack on a 9/11 memorial event scheduled for Sunday in this high-rise building in Kansas City, Missouri
Goldberg is said to have given detailed instructions on how to make a homemade bomb, not unlike the ones used in the Boston Marathon bombing which killed three and injured more than 260.
'Don’t buy all the materials at once or the [derogatory word for non-Muslims] will know you’re up to something. Buy them at different stores,' he allegedly tweeted.
He instructed the informant to stuff the bomb with 'shards of metal and nails. ... Broken glass would probably work too. Just put as much sharp stuff as you can in there.'
If you can, dip the screws and other shrapnel in rat poison before putting them in. That way, the [non-Muslims] who get hit by them will be more likely to die.
'If you can, dip the screws and other shrapnel in rat poison before putting them in. That way, the [derogatory word for non-Muslims] who get hit by them will be more likely to die,' he allegedly wrote.
When it came to the bombing itself, Goldberg reportedly advised: 'Get FAR away from the bomb, brother. There's going to be chaos when it goes off. Shrapnel, blood and panicking [derogatory word for non-Muslims] will be everywhere.'
Goldberg is also accused of sharing pictures of a bomb he was allegedly constructing, which he allegedly claimed contained '2 lbs of explosives'.
After being questioned by federal agents this week, Goldberg backtracked his statements and said that he never planned for the plot to go through.
He told agents that he believed the informant would accidentally kill himself constructing the bomb and if not, he planned to inform police right before the Sunday bombing so that he could look like a hero, according to the affidavit.
On Thursday, reporters with News4Jax went to the house where Goldberg was allegedly living with his parents as he was planning the attacks and spoke with a man claiming to be his father.
On Thursday, reporters with News4Jax went to Goldberg's home and spoke with the 20-year-old's father, Frank Goldberg (right)
Frank Goldberg said he had no idea what his son had been up to and did not offer any more comments on his arrest. Above, the family's home in Orange Park, Florida
'We really don’t want to talk about anything right now,' Frank Goldberg said, as he stood outside the modest home's garage. 'We don’t have any more information at this point.'
'Did you know anything about this?' News4Jax asked.
'Not until today,' Mr Goldberg said. 'I appreciate you - another time we would like to talk to you, but there hasn’t even been an initial hearing yet, so we have no idea what was going on. We had no idea.'
Goldberg allegedly used Twitter, Surespot and Yahoo email to issue a call to arms and give directions to followers for a planned terrorist attack.
In his conversations with the FBI informant, Goldberg initially took responsibility for inspiring the terrorist shooting at a Garland, Texas cartoon convention. The gunmen in the June shooting were the only fatalities
According to the FBI, Goldberg claimed online to be a Lebanese born man operating from the Australian cities of Perth and Melbourne. However, they tracked him town to a small town near Jacksonville, Florida. Goldberg was also on Australian law enforcement's radar, and the Australians aided in the investigation.
The Australian Federal Police confirm they assisted the FBI Task Force operation which resulted in the 20-year-old's arrest.
Federal Police confirm investigations by the AFP in June 2015 established that the man posed no initial threat to the Australian community at that time.
'The man was arrested for distributing information relating to explosives and destructive devices to facilitate a possible terrorist act in the United States. He faces a 20-year prison term if convicted,' the AFP confirmed on Friday.
'It will also be alleged that this person provided information over the internet to in an attempt to facilitate and encourage terrorist acts in Australia.'
Goldberg is accused of pretending to be an Australian jihadist and is said to be known under various names on Twitter, including Australi Witness
In May, the Twitter account 'Australi Witness' issued a threat against controversial Queensland-based cartoonist Larry Pickering, who drew the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a spit-roasted pig
He is accused of trying to coordinate attacks on Australian synagogues, alleging 'I know lots of weapons dealers in Australia who can hook you up with any kind of gun or bomb you want.'
In May, the Twitter account 'Australi Witness' issued a threat against controversial Queensland-based cartoonist Larry Pickering, who drew the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a spit-roasted pig.
The account also published addresses of synagogues in Australia and Anzac Day service locations.
In light of the latest arrest, the AFP is urging the public to report any' alarming instances of people threatening terrorist attacks in any online capacity'.
'This man thought that he could willingly and maliciously distribute disturbing information via the internet and never have his identity discovered,' alleged Acting Deputy Commissioner Gaughan
'This operation again highlights how law enforcement can investigate people in the online space and use our long-established partnerships to work with overseas agencies to bring people to account for their actions.'
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