A man was detained today while attempting to detonate a bomb in a commercial center west of Miami, allegedly inspired by the Islamic State (EI), local media reported.
Vicente Solano was arrested for planning to activate a “mass destruction bomb” at the Dolphin Mall, located in west Miami-Dade County and heavily visited by tourists, according to the Miami Herald.
Solano’s arrest on Friday night was achieved thanks to a confidential informant’s warning to an FBI-led counter-terrorism team that undertook operations with undercover agents in a mode that has been recurring in the last years.
Although there is no indication that it was directed by the Islamic State, the detainee recorded videos in favor of this terrorist group prior to their attempted attack, according to authorities.
Solano’s arrest, which will make its first appearance in a federal court in Miami on Monday and where charges are expected, adds to recent arrests of other South Florida residents who were planning to perpetrate terrorist attacks.
Harlem Suarez of Key West in the Florida Keys was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to detonate a bomb on a public beach, while James Medina, who last August pleaded guilty to attempting to storm a synagogue in Aventura , north of Miami, faces the possibility of a 25-year prison sentence.
