Prosecutors say armed suspect targeted Jewish staff, exposing rising antisemitic terror threats across America today.
A federal grand jury in Florida has indicted 27-year-old Gainesville resident Forrest Kendall Pemberton over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting Jewish individuals.
Federal prosecutors said the indictment, filed in the Southern District of Florida, includes hate crime and firearm charges connected to an alleged attack plan against an AIPAC office in Plantation, Florida.
According to investigators, Pemberton armed himself with a suppressed AR-15 rifle and positioned himself near the office, allegedly choosing the target because AIPAC personnel were Jewish.
The hate crime charge carries a possible life sentence, while the two weapons charges could add up to 35 additional years in prison if he is convicted.
Authorities say the plot was stopped after Pemberton’s relatives reported him missing and provided law enforcement with a disturbing letter and information about online searches suggesting he intended to commit violence at the AIPAC site.
A multi-agency effort later led police to locate and arrest him in Tallahassee.
The case adds to growing concern over violent antisemitic threats in the United States, where Jewish institutions, advocacy groups and visibly Jewish individuals have increasingly faced intimidation and attack.
