 |
|
Val
met Goldstein at a gun show, struck up a friendship then swapped
guns, shot off rounds and spent a Christmas evening together
|
Tampa,
FLORIDA, September 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – A second
man, was caught by the U.S. federal agents, under charges that he
illegally gave Robert Goldstein, a podiatrist who was planning
terrorist attacks against 50 Islamic centers and mosques in Tampa,
Florida, with two machine guns and other firearms accessories, a U.S.
newspaper reported Friday.
Several
years ago, Samuel "Val" Shannahan met a podiatrist at a gun
show and struck up a friendship. They swapped guns, shot off rounds
and spent a Christmas evening together. Federal agents now believe
Shannahan is the "Val" whom Seminole podiatrist Goldstein
referred to in a written plan to damage the centers, reported St.
Petersburg Times.
On
Wednesday night, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms arrested Shannahan, 42, at his Dunedin apartment.
During
the hearing, a federal prosecutor argued that Shannahan should be held
in jail, saying he is a risk to flee the area and a danger to the
community. They said he has not been truthful during interviews,
reported the Times adding that a judge will decide in the coming days
whether Shannahan should be released from the Pinellas County Jail on
bond.
Shannahan's
St. Petersburg attorney, Bruce Howie, said he has no indication that
Shannahan had a part in a plot to attack Islamic centers or mosques,
the paper said.
On
August 22, Goldstein was arrested after U.S. authorities found guns
and explosives in his home, U.S. daily newspaper, the Washington Post
reported.
According
to the Post, deputies searching Goldstein's home near St. Petersburg
found up to 40 weapons, 30 explosive devices, a list of about 50
Islamic worship centers in Florida and detailed plans to bomb an
Islamic education center.
"Set
timers for approximately 15-20 minutes to allow for enough time to get
out of area, but to confirm explosions has (sic) been
successful," reads an outline of the attack, according to court
documents. "The amount of explosives should be ample to take down
the building(s)."
Police
believe Goldstein planned to use VCR tapes and walkie-talkies to hide
explosive devices or detonators, sheriff's Detective Cal Dennie said,
the Post added.
Goldstein,
37, was charged with possession of a non-registered destructive device
and attempting to use an explosive to damage and destroy Islamic
centers. He was being held without bond at Hillsborough County jail,
the paper added.
The
Post said that U.S. Police authorities found the explosives and
evacuated residents in Goldstein's town house complex Thursday night
after his mother called police. She had asked them to check on the
home after his wife, Kristi Goldstein, called her and said they were
having marital problems, Dennie said.
The
Police found explosive devices including hand grenades and a 5-gallon
gasoline bomb with a timer and a wire attached, Dennie said, reported
the Post.
“If
one of those bombs were to have gone off, that townhouse would have
been destroyed," ATF Agent Carlos Baixauli said, adding that,
"If the others exploded, we would have lost most of that
townhouse complex."
According
to court documents, the template for the bombing outlined details
including what Goldstein would wear, how he could get rid of
fingerprints and how he would engage in hand-to-hand combat if
necessary, said the Post.
Federal
agents interviewed Shannahan a day after Goldstein was charged. Agents
said Shannahan was unable to provide an explanation for why he was
named in Goldstein's plans, according to the federal criminal
complaint, reported the Times.
On
August 25, the Council on American-Islamic Relations cautioned that
police are failing to treat the Goldstein’s case seriously.
The
Islamic civil rights and advocacy group complained that local and
federal authorities have failed to inform Florida’s Muslim community
over action by police to find possible accomplices of Goldstein.
CAIR’s
spokesman in Florida Altaf said he believed that the incident would
have been treated much differently had the alleged perpetrator been a
Muslim threatening to attack synagogues.
On
August 27th, U.S. federal agents and local police met with Muslim
leaders in Florida to discuss security steps.
Florida
Governor Jeb Bush announced the move Monday, August 26, immediately
after a Muslim community group urged him to investigate reports of a
terror plot against Islamic schools and mosques in the southeastern
U.S. state.
Bush
directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to initiate contact
with Islamic centers across the state, saying federal agents also
would discuss security measures with Muslim leaders.
Florida
Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Tim Moore said about 200
mosques would be visited.
“We’re
here to provide a level of security,” said Bush, a brother of U.S.
President George W. Bush. “It is a duty of the state government and
local government and federal government ... to protect people’s
rights and to make sure they are not targeted because of their
ethnicity, their nationality or their religion. Period.”
“Those
who send their children to religious schools or who pray in mosques,
synagogues or churches have every right to practice their religion in
a peaceful state and safe environment.”
He
made the remarks in a conference call with law enforcement agencies
and the Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) Monday.
