Federal agents arrested a Muslim man, Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, and charged him with plotting to use machine guns to assault a Masonic temple.
His specific charges were unlawful possession of a machine gun and the receipt and possession of firearms that weren't registered to him, CS Monitor reported.
The arrest came after the FBI spent time recording conversations between Hamzeh and federal informants, including discussions of a planned attack on a Masonic temple in Milwaukee. The discussions reportedly took place on January 19 and January 20.
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Audio indicates Hamzeh allegedly said, Jihad Watch reported: "I am telling you, if this hit is executed, it will be known all over the world ... all the Mujahedeen will be talking and they will be proud of us. ... such operations will increase in America when they hear about it. The people will be scared and the operations will increase and there will be problems all over ... this will lead to people clashing with each other. This way we will be igniting it. I mean we are marching at the front of the war."
He also allegedly said he wanted to kill 30 people "because these 30 will terrify the world," CS Monitor reported.
The news outlet reported Hamzeh had recently been fired from his job as a trainer in a gym where his "very intense, very militant" style "didn't mix well" with the needs of clients, owner Delia Luna said, in the news outlet.
CS Monitor reported Hamzeh initially came under federal agents' eyes when they learned he allegedly planned to visit Israel last year and attack soldiers and citizens in the West Bank. He reportedly quit those plans due to "family, financial and logistic reasons," the federal affidavit stated.