Evening traffic leaving Los Angeles on 405 freeway North.
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LOS ANGELES — Authorities have arrested a Los Angeles man described as a U.S. military veteran for terror-related charges that included threats against a local landmark and freeways.
The FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles Police Department plan to hold a press conference in Los Angeles at 1 p.m. local time to discuss the case. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department also are expected to participate.
The suspect was identified as Mark Steven Domingo, 26, of Reseda, Calif., according to press release Monday from the U.S. Department of Justice. It said Domingo “was arrested Friday night after he received what he thought was a live bomb, but in fact was an inert explosive device that was delivered by an undercover law enforcement officer as part of an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
The government described Domingo is a former U.S. Army infantryman with combat experience in Afghanistan. The suspect faces federal charges in a terrorist plot in which he planned to detonate an improvised explosive device for the purpose of causing mass casualties.
According to the government, Domingo in online posts and conversations with an FBI source “expressed support for violent jihad, a desire to seek retribution for attacks against Muslims, and a willingness to become a martyr.” During an April 3 meeting, the suspect allegedly expressed support for ISIS and said “if ISIS ‘came here,’ he would swear allegiance to ISIS,” according to the complaint.
Domingo also discussed wanting to use explosives at the Santa Monica Pier plotted to set off explosives on L.A. freeways, authorities said.
NBC News said that the suspect made threatening comments about wanting to harm LAPD officers. The suspect had several guns and was attempting to obtain explosives when he was nabbed in a string operation.
Online rants from the suspect are said to have tipped off investigators about Domingo, who expressed anger at the killings of Muslims last month in New Zealand mosque attacks. The suspect had been put under surveillance since he posted the comments a few weeks ago.
The threat against L.A. follows Saturday’s deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, Calif., located in San Diego County. A 19-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the synagogue shooting, which killed one person and injured four others.
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