Conor Climo Image by TODAY/YouTube

(JTA) — A man from Las Vegas, Nevada who works as a security guard was arrested and charged with plans to bomb a local synagogue or a bar that caters to the LBGTQ community.

The man was identified as Conor Climo, 23, in a statement issued Friday by the U.S. Justice Department.

Climo was arrested on Thursday and appeared in federal court on Friday. He was charged with one criminal count of possession of an unregistered firearm, which the statement identified as “the component parts of a destructive device.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Climo faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Climo was having encrypted online conversations with individuals who identified with a white supremacist extremist organization. Climo regularly used derogatory racial, anti-Semitic, and homosexual slurs. He communicated with one undercover online contact and an FBI confidential informant.

According to the complaint, he discussed attacking a Las Vegas synagogue and making Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices, and discussed conducting surveillance on a bar he believed catered to the LGBTQ community.

A search of his home found hand-drawn plans and component parts of a destructive device, according to the complaint, including flammable liquids, oxidizing agents and circuit boards. An AR-15 assault-style weapon and a bolt-action rifle was discovered and confiscated.

“Threats of violence motivated by hate and intended to intimidate or coerce our faith-based and LGBTQ communities have no place in this country,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich said. “Law enforcement in Nevada remains determined to use the full weight of our investigative resources to prevent bias-motivated violence before it happens.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount