Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky

A South Florida man appeared before a federal judge in Miami on Monday to face charges for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction at a synagogue in Aventura, Florida, according to court documents.

James Medina, 40, of Hollywood, Florida was arrested on Friday as a result of an undercover operation after he tried to use an explosive that law enforcement had made inoperable.

James Medina Image by Broward County Sheriff’s Office

The Federal Bureau of Investigation began watching Medina after he began expressing anti-Semitic views and a wish to attack a synagogue in conversation. They launched an investigation in late March.

Undercover agents learned that Medina wanted to leave some kind of “clue” at the scene of the attack so that it would be falsely attributed to the Islamic State militant group, according to the court complaint.

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz identified the targeted synagogue in a statement, saying she was grateful that the suspect was arrested “before he was allegedly able to do harm to the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center and its congregants, so many of whom are my constituents, who were observing the end of Passover.”

A spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida said there was a “national security related” arrest on Friday but there was no current threat to the public safety.

Thousands of Forward readers support our nonprofit newsroom.

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. That’s only possible thanks to the support of readers like you. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT