FBI: Milwaukee man planned mass shooting at Masonic temple
By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
Updated 8:05 PM ET, Tue January 26, 2016 | Video Source: WITI
(CNN)A 23-year-old Milwaukee resident charged with illegally possessing machine guns had planned a massacre at a Masonic temple in the city, federal officials said Tuesday.
Samy Mohamed Hamzeh was arrested Monday after buying two automatic weapons and a silencer from undercover agents, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin said in a statement.The investigation thwarted an attack "that could have resulted in significant injury and/or loss of life," FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Shields said in the statement announcing the arrest.
It was not immediately clear whether Hamzeh has retained legal representation.
A criminal complaint released by prosecutors alleges that Hamzeh toured a Masonic center in Milwaukee earlier this month with two FBI informants and then detailed plans for an attack in a meeting with them later that night.
Hamzeh allegedly said he was defending Islam and that he hoped to kill at least 30 people, according to the complaint.
The complaint contains chilling excerpts of comments allegedly made by Hamzeh, captured in a recording and translated from Arabic into English.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/us/mil...ges/index.html