Milwaukee Terrorist Arrested for Plotting to Attack Masonic Temple
The FBI arrested a Milwaukee, WI resident on Monday for possessing machine guns and plotting to kill at least 30 people at a local Masonic Temple. Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, had been the subject of an FBI undercover operation since September 2015.
Hamzeh was arrested after buying two automatic weapons and a silencer from FBI undercover operatives on Monday.
Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23 -Facebook photo
Who is he?
Heavy.com reported that his original plan was to attack Israeli Soldiers on the West Bank, but logistically and financially it wouldn’t work for him, so he decided to attack a domestic target. Officials said that his target was the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic center.
Samy lists his occupation as a fitness trainer at 9Round Gym in Milwaukee. He claims to be a native of Miami. He has posted at least one photo of his face overlaid with the Palestinian flag. Some of the information on his Facebook page is likely false, as he lists that he’s a graduate of Milwaukee Area Technical College class of 2000, but at that time he was reportedly only 8 years old.
Facebook photo
In the complaint
According to the complaint, Namzeh made remarks about killing at least 30 people, and being extremely happy about doing it.
Chilling excerpt from complaint detailing Hamzeh’s attack plans at a #Milwaukee temple @WISN12News pic.twitter.com/F8izOW6g47
— Ben Hutchison (@BennyHutch) January 26, 2016
The complaint also stated that he said,
“They are all Masonic; they are playing with the world like a game, man, and we are like asses, we don’t know what is going on, these are the ones who are fighting, these are the ones that needs to be killed, not the Shi’iat, because these are the ones who are against us, these are the ones who are making living for us like hell.
Thirty is excellent. If I got out, after killing thirty people, I will be happy 100%… 100% happy, because these 30 will terrify the world.”
Thwarting the attack
Hamzeh took two undercover FBI agents to a shooting range in September to demonstrate his skills. The agency has not said whether he has been affiliated with any particular organization.
MUGSHOT: Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, arrested and suspected of planning mass shooting in #Milwaukee @WISN12News pic.twitter.com/cWqaR1B7gL
— Ben Hutchison (@BennyHutch) January 26, 2016
FBI arrests #Jihadist planning mass shooting in #Milwaukee Samy Mohamed Hamzeh @CAIRNational Press conf in 3.2.1 https://t.co/Yiqp990sOr
— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) January 26, 2016
FBI officials stated that the arrest of Hamzeh thwarted an attack “that could have resulted in significant injury and/or loss of life.”
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Interesting side note: the CNN thumbnail originally looked like this:
Screenshot of the “Sand person” arrest
Someone at CNN suddenly got a sense of humor? Probably not, but it was funny. The reference does not exist either in the hyperlink or the article.