“We allege that the defendant threatened to carry out hate-fueled mass violence in our country, motivated in part by a desire to target businesses for their perceived support of Israel,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Court records did not specify when or how the suspect entered the country.
A judge ruled this week that the suspect, 43-year-old Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, is ordered to be detained until trial following a detention hearing on Aug. 14, according to court records.
U.S. District Judge for the Central District of Florida Embry J. Kidd noted in the order that he was to be held pending trial because no other conditions could “reasonably assure the safety of any other person and the community.”
Hnaihen faces four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility.
These charges stem from a series of incidents that allegedly began in June, with Hnaihen accused of targeting businesses in the Orlando area due to their perceived support for Israel.
According to court documents, Hnaihen wore a mask and attacked several businesses at night, smashing glass doors and leaving behind letters addressed to the United States government.
In these letters, Hnaihen allegedly issued political demands and threatened to “destroy or explode everything here in whole America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel,” according to the court records reviewed by The Epoch Times.
The situation escalated in late June when Hnaihen allegedly broke into and attacked a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida.
During this attack, he is accused of spending hours destroying solar panel arrays by smashing panels, cutting wires, and targeting critical electronic equipment, causing an estimated $700,000 in damage, the DOJ said.
“The solar farm’s engineers and law enforcement investigators quickly realized that Hnaihen’s attack bore signs of premeditation and sophistication,” court documents state. “For example, whenever Hnaihen cut a wire, he would cut so close to the panel that it was impossible to splice in a new wire, permanently decommissioning the entire panel. And as Hnaihen worked across row after row, he identified and selectively destroyed the lead panel in a daisy-chained series of panels, taking the entire chain offline.”
DOJ said in their memo in support of pre-trial detention that they were also alleging he tried to purchase a firearm and ammunition from a gun store in Orlando—despite being prohibited from owning a firearm due to his “alienage.”
DOJ added that he allegedly lied on the gun-purchase paperwork, stating he was not an alien and had a nonimmigrant visa, but that the background check led to the discovery of his true status, and he was unable to buy the weapons.
“Under the guise of expressing his beliefs, the defendant allegedly attacked a power facility and threatened local businesses, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a press release. “Violence and destruction of property to threaten and intimidate others will never be tolerated. The FBI and our partners will work together to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence.”
Hnaihen was apprehended on July 11 following the discovery of another “warning letter” at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando.
If convicted, Hnaihen could face up to 10 years in prison for each count of threatening to use explosives and up to 20 years in prison for the destruction of an energy facility, the DOJ said in the release.
The FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Office are leading the investigation, with assistance from local police departments in Maitland, Winter Park, and Orlando. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Varadan and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The Epoch Times emailed the attorney representing Hnaihen to respond to the allegations but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
