A Jordanian citizen He was arrested for making explosives threats and planning an attack on a Florida energy facility, which was allegedly motivated by the US government’s support for the State of Israel.
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnihen, 43, of Orlando, was indicted Thursday on four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destroying a power plant.
Prosecutors say that beginning around June, Hnehan targeted and attacked businesses in the Orlando area “because of their perceived support for the State of Israel.”
Wearing a mask, in the dark of night, Hnehan allegedly broke the glass of the front doors of business establishments and left “warning letters,” according to court documents.
According to the indictment, these letters, addressed to the United States government, contained a number of political demands, culminating in threats to “destroy or blow up everything throughout the United States, especially companies and factories that support the racist State of Israel.”
Prosecutors say Hnehan’s attacks later escalated. While law enforcement officers were working to identify the masked attacker, Hnehan allegedly broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, in late June and spent hours systematically destroying solar panel arrays.
He is accused of breaking panels, cutting wires and targeting vital electronic equipment. Court documents say Hnehan left two more copies of his threatening demand letter. Prosecutors believe Hnehan caused more than $700,000 in damages.
The indictment includes a photograph of solar panels with broken pieces of glass and an aerial photograph of the solar panel area allegedly attacked by Hennehen, with the targeted panel areas highlighted in red. (Justice Department)
Law enforcement agencies identified Hennehan after a “multi-agency effort” and arrested him on July 11, shortly after another “warning letter” threatening to “destroy or explode everything” was found at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando.
“We allege that the defendant threatened to commit hate-motivated mass violence in our country, motivated in part by a desire to Target Businesses “For his alleged support for Israel,” the US Attorney General said. Merrick Garland in a statement. “Threats and acts of violence like these, whether they target places Americans visit every day or our nation’s critical infrastructure, are extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated by the Department of Justice.”
Roger Handberg, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announced that if convicted, Henihan could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the threatening offenses, and up to 20 years for the offense of destroying an energy facility.
The indictment also includes photos of damage Huyhnen allegedly caused to two businesses. (Justice Department)
During a detention hearing on Thursday, Hnehan was ordered held in custody pending trial. The indictment also informs Hnehan that the United States intends to seize assets connected to the crime.
“Targeting and attacking businesses based on perceived beliefs is unacceptable,” Handberg said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute at the federal level those who make violent or hate-based threats and those who seek to act on these threats.”
“Under the guise of expressing his beliefs, the accused allegedly attacked a power plant and threatened local businesses, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Using violence and property destruction 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.”
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The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, with valuable assistance from the Maitland Police Department, Winter Park Police Department, and Orlando Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Boon is leading the prosecution.
The incident comes a few months after the killing of two Jordanian citizens. were in the United States illegally In May an attempt was made to invade a Marine Corps base in Virginia.
Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, one expert recently told Fox News Digital that Jordan remains the “last bastion” as Iran eyes turning the country into Tehran’s next big “terrorist front.”
Fox News’s Caitlin McFaul contributed to this report.
