News

FBI Arrests Demetrius Pitts For Plotting Al-Qaida ‘Toy Car’ Terrorist Attack In Cleveland On July 4th

On Sunday, FBI agents arrested Demetrius Pitts who was plotting to help al-Qaida detonate a bomb in downtown Cleveland during the Fourth of July holiday.

U.S. citizen and Philadelphia native — Pitts, 48, a Muslim who the FBI reported had been radicalized in the United States, was charged with attempting to “provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.”

SLIDESHOW: DONALD TRUMP’S 30 CRAZIEST TWEETS

Pitts allegedly planned on packing a van with explosives and detonating the explosives near July 4 crowds, the affidavit states. He also sought to put explosives in toy-size, remote-controlled cars and rolling them under law enforcement vehicles or giving the cars to children of military personnel.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

“I’m gonna be downtown when the – when the thing go off. I’m gonna be somewhere cuz I wanna see it go off,” Pitts told an undercover agent who he believed was affiliated with al Qaeda, according to court documents.

50 Celebrities Who Have Died In 2018 – Tribute Slideshow

The investigation of Pitts has similarities to the FBI’s 2012 investigation that foiled a bridge-bombing plot. In both cases, the FBI used undercover investigators posing as would-be accomplices and promising to provide the explosives, according to Cleveland.com

The FBI learned about Pitts’ disdain for America on Dec. 31, 2015, after discovering suspicious Facebook activity under the name Abdur Raheem Rafeeq, later determined to be Pitts, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

“This defendant, by his own words and by his own deeds, wanted to attack our nation and its ideals,” said Justin Herdman, the U.S. attorney for northern Ohio in a news conference on Monday.

“He wanted us to be afraid to speak our minds. He also wanted us to be afraid to gather together in public places,” he said. “So I ask this week that we all continue to gather, continue to celebrate America.”

Pitts has an extensive criminal record. He spent more than ten years in prison for robbing a woman, robbing Bangs Market, a grocery story, and he has been charged with domestic violence.

Cleveland Police Calvin Williams said the city already planned stepped-up security on the Fourth as a matter of course, and that additional officers won’t necessarily be deployed.

Steven Abendroth

Recent Posts

Trump Places ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs On Several Uninhabited Islands Whose Only Residents Are Penguins

President Donald Trump placed tariffs on almost 90% of nations, including some uninhabited areas, during…

8 hours ago

VIDEO: Trump Announces Huge Tariffs On All Imports – Economists Say It Will Lead To A Recession

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/t4Yuj5JQkT8 Supporters of President Donald Trump cheered as he unveiled a sweeping set of tariffs…

14 hours ago

Elon Musk Set To Leave Trump Administration After Wisconsin Election Disaster

Controversial tech billionaire Elon Musk will leave the Trump Administration in the next month, President…

18 hours ago

VIDEO: Sen. Cory Booker Breaks Record For Longest-Ever Senate Speech Protesting Trump Policies

https://youtu.be/ZLOWOkWhEag Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) held the Senate floor with a historic speech that…

1 day ago

Democratic-Backed Judge Susan Crawford Wins Seat On Wisconsin Supreme Court In Major Rebuke Of Elon Musk

Democratic-backed Judge Susan Crawford won a seat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court after beating Republican-backed…

2 days ago

Trump Claimed He Hadn’t Read Project 2025 During Campaign, But His Executive Actions Align Closely With Its Proposals

President Donald Trump surprised his administration last week by proposing that the country's primary disaster…

2 days ago