Benjamin Thomas Samuel McDowell, 29, has been arrested by the FBI after he allegedly attempted to purchase a gun from an FBI agent, allegedly planning to commit a terrorist attack “in the spirit of Dylan Roofe”, the White Supremacist terrorist who murdered nine African American worshippers at a Church in cold blood in 2015.
McDowell met with the FBI agent in South Carolina, who was undercover, believing that he “handled problems for the Aryan Nations”. He said “I got the heart to do that s***, but I don’t have to the good training…if I could do something on a f***** big scale and write on the f***** building or whatever, ‘In the spirit of Dylann Roof.’”
He contacted the agent the next day to obtain a weapon, which he allegedly stated was to use for an attack in the county in which he lives.
The FBI monitored his social media accounts, which they believe indicated that he wished to attack a Conservative Synagogue in his area. The Rabbi of the Synagogue has been advised not to comment on this situation by the FBI.
McDowell has already been brought to trial
The events are a disturbing reminder of the very real threat which is faced by Jewish communities across the world. The security services are to commended by the handling of the situation, identifying a credible threat and apprehending him swiftly. At a time in which a far right terrorist attack is always a possibility, the ability of security services to monitor extremist activity, to understand the nature of threats, and to act swiftly is paramont