Update On The Foiled 4th Of July Terror Plot, Suspect Identified

This morning, we discovered that authorities foiled a serious terror plot, targeting downtown Cleveland on the 4th of July. The suspect was charged with “attempted material support of a foreign terrorist organization for allegedly planning an Independence Day attack.”

The suspect has been identified as 48-year-old Demetrius Pitts. An undercover FBI employee posed as an al Qaeda sympathizer, and Pitts told him his plans. He wanted to pack a van full of explosives.

What we know:

Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts was arrested after being accused of planning a terrorist-style attack on July 4 in downtown Cleveland.

Now charged with attempted material support of a foreign terrorist organization.

He wanted to park a van packed with explosives. pic.twitter.com/Y3x7ukPs10

— Charisse Gibson (@OkayCharisse) July 2, 2018

An undercover FBI employee met with Pitts and began recording their conversations, in which he fantasized about beheading President Donald Trump, attacking U.S. soldiers, and sowing terror in Cleveland on Independence Day.

“I’m trying to figure out something that would shake them up on the 4th of July,” he said in one recording.

An FBI informant provided Pitts with a bus pass so he could get to downtown Cleveland to take photos of bombing targets. He allegedly pledged allegiance to terrorist leaders in videos made with a cellphone — which was also provided by the FBI. His passcode for the phone wasn’t exactly a stumper: 0704, the date of the supposed attack.

Pitts allegedly also said he was interested in doing reconnaissance in Philadelphia, where he had lived. “Pitts indicated it was his ‘job’ to ‘go look at the base of the ground,’ and that it was up to other ‘brothers’ to complete the other parts of the job,” the complaint said.

“I don’t wanna meet all the Brothers,” he told the undercover FBI employee at one point.

“Now what about the detonator guy?” the FBI employee asked.

“Now I don’t even wanna meet him,” Pitts said. “He has nothing to do with me.

“The only thing I’m going to be responsible for is going to look at the spot, to scope out the scenery,” he added.

Here’s the POS.

Authorities started paying closer attention to Pitts back in 2015, after he sent “disturbing” messages to a local TV program.

After more alarming Facebook comments in 2017, the FBI took a closer look and determined that Pitts was interested in joining al Qaeda, training overseas and returning to the U.S. to stage an attack, the complaint said.

Hence, this investigation.

Thank GOODNESS they stopped him before it was too late.

h/t NBC News