(CNN) A 26-year-old former US Army soldier who served in Afghanistan has been charged with plotting terror attacks in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department said Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo allegedly sought to detonate improvised explosive devices containing nails this past weekend at a rally in Long Beach that was organized by a white nationalist group.

He was arrested Friday night after he took receipt of what he thought were pressure cooker bombs, US Attorney Nick Hanna announced at a press conference.

"Law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate, and bent on mass murder and stop him before he was able to carry out his attack," Hanna said.

Domingo allegedly wanted to "seek retribution for attacks against Muslims" and also considered attacks on Jewish people, churches and law enforcement.

Read More</s>Image copyright Department of Justice Image caption Mark Domingo allegedly sought retribution for attacks against Muslims

A US Army veteran has been arrested as he was in the final stages of a plan to bomb a white supremacist rally in California, say authorities.

Muslim convert Mark Domingo, 26, also allegedly plotted terror attacks on Jews, churches and police in revenge for the New Zealand mosque shootings.

He was held on Friday after accepting what he believed to be a live bomb, delivered by undercover officers.

Mr Domingo had expressed support for violent jihad, say prosecutors.

According to court documents, the former infantryman with combat experience in Afghanistan took steps to build and detonate a weapon of mass destruction.

"This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties," said federal prosecutor Nick Hanna in a statement on Monday.

In online posts and in conversations with an FBI source - posing as an accomplice - Mr Domingo expressed a desire to seek retribution for the March attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and other attacks against Muslims.

He allegedly expressed a willingness to become a "martyr" in an attack.

According to authorities, Mr Domingo considered targets including Jewish people, churches and police officers, before settling on the Long Beach rally.

A far-right group had planned to march on Sunday at Bluff Park in Long Beach, though they did not show up. Anti-racism counter-demonstrators did, however, attend.

The idea to target the Long Beach event was allegedly discussed during a meeting on 19 April between Mr Domingo and the FBI agent.

Mr Domingo arrived at the meeting with an AK-47-style rifle to show he was "serious" about his plans, said prosecutors.

He also allegedly mentioned the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and said he wanted a device that could cause 50 casualties.

Mr Domingo also allegedly contemplated bombing the Santa Monica Pier, where he said a summer attack on the crowded tourist spot would cause maximum casualties.

Prosecutors say he referred to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas - the deadliest such attack in modern US history, it left 58 dead - as a blueprint for his own assault.

He posted online that "America needs another Vegas event" in order to "give them a taste of the terror they gladly spread all over the world", said prosecutors.

Image caption The Department of Justice announced the charges at a press conference

According to court documents, once Mr Domingo determined the location of his attack, he worked with the FBI source to find a bomb-maker.

The suspect planned to plant home-made explosive devices made with nail-filled pressure cookers that would be remotely triggered or detonated by a timer.

He allegedly purchased "several hundred nails" meant to be used as shrapnel inside the improvised explosive device.

"Domingo said he specifically bought three-inch nails because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs," the affidavit says.

In discussions with the FBI agent, Mr Domingo allegedly claimed that if the Islamic State were to come to the US "he would swear allegiance" to the group.

On Thursday, after purchasing the nails, Mr Domingo allegedly sent a message to the undercover agent indicating that the bombing was to proceed.

The FBI operative then delivered several "inert devices", which Mr Domingo purportedly believed to be weapons of mass destruction.

Authorities said that Mr Domingo had travelled to Long Beach to inspect the site of the bombing when he was taken into custody.

In a joint statement, federal authorities celebrated the thwarting of the alleged attack and said there was no outstanding threat to the public.

If convicted, Mr Domingo could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.</s>LOS ANGELES (AP) – Authorities say they thwarted a terror plot targeting white supremacists in California by an Army veteran who converted to Islam and wanted retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that Mark Domingo was arrested for planning to plant a bomb at a Nazi rally Sunday in Long Beach.

Domingo was arrested Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. The rally never happened.

Court papers say Domingo discussed several types of attacks with an informant that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers.

He said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.

A message left on a phone listed for Domingo was not immediately returned.</s>A U.S. army veteran planned to bomb a white nationalist rally in southern California in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque shootings that left 50 dead, federal authorities said Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo — a 26-year-old former U.S. infantryman who fought in Afghanistan — asked an undercover FBI agent for help creating a bomb powerful enough to kill 50 people. Domingo also allegedly talked about his support for “violent jihad, a desire to seek retribution for attacks against Muslims, and a willingness to become a martyr.”

“There must be retribution,” Domingo wrote after the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March, according to a 30-page affidavit with the criminal complaint. The shooter, a 28-year old Australian, was deeply enmeshed in white nationalist ideology.

When the undercover agent delivered multiple inert IEDs to him on Friday, law enforcement promptly arrested him and charged with him providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

"This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna for the Central District of California in a statement.</s>(LOS ANGELES) — A terror plot by an Army veteran who converted to Islam and planned to bomb a white supremacist rally in Southern California as retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks was thwarted, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mark Domingo, 26, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested by federal agents Friday while finalizing plans to plant a bomb at a Nazi rally that had been scheduled Sunday in Long Beach.

Domingo was arrested on a charge of providing material support to terrorists and a criminal complaint said he had been planning since March to “manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder.”

Court papers show that Domingo discussed with an informant different types of attacks that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers.

Domingo allegedly said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.

Domingo allegedly bought parts, including nails, for an improvised explosive device that would be remotely triggered, but in fact contained inert materials, FBI agent Tasha Coolidge said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

If they survived the planned bombing at Bluff Park, Domingo discussed launching further attacks on the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles or on a train.

White nationalists never showed up to the planned event in Bluff Park, but a large group of counter protesters demonstrated.

A message left on a phone listed for Domingo was not immediately returned.</s>LOS ANGELES - A terror plot by an Army veteran who converted to Islam and planned to bomb a white supremacist rally in Southern California as retribution for the New Zealand mosque attacks was thwarted, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Mark Domingo, 26, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested by federal agents Friday while finalizing plans to plant a bomb at a Nazi rally that had been scheduled Sunday in Long Beach.

Domingo was arrested on a charge of providing material support to terrorists and a criminal complaint said he had been planning since March to “manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder.”

Court papers show that Domingo discussed with an informant different types of attacks that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers.

Domingo allegedly said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.</s>A US combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate multiple nail bombs at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, seeking to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo (26) a US army infantryman who recently converted to Islam, was taken into custody on Friday after undercover FBI operatives furnished him with what he thought were live bombs to be used in the attack, law enforcement officials said.

Authorities said Mr Domingo, who had no prior criminal record, came to their attention because of a series of violent extremist messages he posted in online chat rooms, one of which called for “retribution” for the massacre of 50 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a gunman in March.

“Often we are asked what keeps us up at night. This is a case that keeps us up at night,” Ryan Young, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, told a news conference in Los Angeles.

Mr Domingo, who had purchased several hundred long nails to serve as shrapnel in the homemade pressure-cooker bombs, had also suggested attacks on Jews, police officers, churches, a military facility, Southern California freeways and the Santa Monica Pier during internet conversations with the FBI operatives, Young said.

He was charged in a federal criminal complaint with providing material support to terrorists and was ordered held without bond during a brief initial appearance in US district court in Los Angeles on Monday.

“This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties,” US attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement.

According to the criminal complaint, an FBI operative established contact with Mr Domingo in a private online chat room in March, leading to discussions in which Mr Domingo expressed support for Islamic militants and the desire to seek revenge for attacks on Muslims.

In one of his earliest posts, he suggested that “America needs another Vegas event,” an apparent reference to the 2017 mass shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas where a lone gunman perched in a nearby hotel killed 58 people and wounded hundreds, the complaint alleged.

Mr Domingo, who said he wanted to become a martyr, also made reference to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, according to the complaint. During one meeting in person with an FBI operative, he arrived carrying an AK 47-style assault rifle, telling the informant: “I just wanted to show you that I’m serious.”

According to a law enforcement database, Mr Domingo is the registered owner of three semi-automatic rifles. An FBI spokeswoman said received a less-than-honourable discharge from the army.

Prosecutors say Mr Domingo contemplated drive-by shootings and detonating a bomb at the Santa Monica pier before deciding to bomb a rally scheduled for Sunday, April 28th, in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach that he believed was organised by white nationalists.

Mr Domingo and two FBI informants visited the planned site of the rally to scout the best location to place explosives to cause the greatest casualties, authorities said, agreeing that they would leave the scene separately to throw off suspicion. He as arrested shortly after placing one of the mock bombs into the vehicle of an informant.

The white nationalist rally ended up not happening, although a number of counterdemonstrators assembled at the site, the Los Angeles City News Service said.

The announcement of Mr Domingo’s arrest came two days after a gunman opened fire in a San Diego-area synagogue, killing one woman and wounding three others, including the rabbi. John Earnest ( 19) was arrested.

There was no indication the two incidents were connected.–Reuters</s>A US Army veteran who was allegedly plotting a large-scale terror attack near Los Angeles as revenge for the recent mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been arrested, authorities said Monday.

Mark Steven Domingo, 26, who had combat experience in Afghanistan and professed to be Muslim, faces federal terror-related charges for plotting to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach this past weekend with the aim of causing mass casualties, officials said.

Domingo was arrested Friday after receiving what he thought was a live bomb packed with nails that was delivered by an undercover agent.

According to court documents, Domingo expressed support in online posts and conversations with an FBI source for violent jihad and aspired to become a martyr by seeking retribution for attacks against Muslims.

After considering various options -- including targeting Jews, churches, and police officers -- Domingo decided to detonate an IED at the Long Beach rally, which ended up not taking place, authorities said.

"This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties," said US Attorney Nick Hanna.

Domingo, who served in Afghanistan between September 2012 and January 2013, in one message posted to a private group online in early March referred to a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 that left 58 dead.

"America needs another Vegas event... that would give them the taste of terror they gladly spread all over the world," he said.

In another posting on March 14, he wrote: "There were mosque shootings in New Zealand. There must be retribution."

Authorities said he was referring to the New Zealand mosques massacre the previous day in which 50 people were killed.

After several weeks of plotting with an undercover FBI informant and considering various targets, Domingo finally set his sights on the rally in Long Beach and bought several hundred three-inch (7.6-centimeter) nails to be used as shrapnel inside an explosive device "because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs," the complaint says.

He was arrested after an undercover officer handed him inert devices and the pair traveled to the Long Beach park where the rally was set to take place to conduct surveillance.

"I'm extremely glad to be announcing that we interdicted a potential terrorist attack, rather than outlining the FBI's response to yet another tragedy," said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

"At no time was the public in danger and there is currently no known threat to public safety."

Domingo has been charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge.

He was due to make an initial appearance on court later Monday.

Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections.</s>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A U.S. veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate a nail bomb at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, hoping to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

Mark Domingo, 26, a U.S. Army infantryman who fought in Afghanistan and recently converted to Islam, was taken into custody on Friday after being given what he thought was a live bomb to use in the attack by an FBI informant, law enforcement officials said.

"Often we are asked what keeps us up at night. This is a case that keeps us up at night," Ryan Young, special agent in charge of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, told a news conference in Los Angeles.

Domingo, who had purchased several hundred long nails to serve as shrapnel in an improvised explosive device, had also suggested attacks on Jews, police officers, churches, a military facility, Southern California freeways and the Santa Monica Pier during internet conversations with the informant, Young said.

He was charged in a federal criminal complaint with providing material support to terrorists and was ordered held without bond during a brief initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday.

“This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement.

According to the criminal complaint, Domingo met the FBI informant in a private chat room in March, telling him he wanted to carry out an attack against America in retribution for the massacre of 50 people that month at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

During the initial conversations, he suggested that "America needs another Vegas event," an apparent reference to the 2017 mass shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas where a lone gunman perched in a nearby hotel killed 58 people and wounded hundreds, the complaint alleges.

Domingo, who said he wanted to become a martyr in a "violent jihad," also made reference to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, according to the complaint. During one meeting in person, he arrived carrying an AK 47-style assault rifle, telling the informant: "I just wanted to show you that I'm serious."

According to a law enforcement database, Domingo, who an FBI spokeswoman said received a less-than-honorable discharge from the Army, is the registered owner of three semi-automatic rifles.

Prosecutors say Domingo contemplated drive-by shootings and detonating a bomb at the Santa Monica pier before deciding to detonate an improvised explosive device at an April 28, 2019 rally in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach that he believed was organized by white nationalists.

Domingo and the FBI informant visited the planned site of the rally to scout the best location to place explosives to cause the greatest casualties, authorities said, agreeing that they would leave the scene separately to throw off suspicion.An FBI spokeswoman confirmed the rally took place as scheduled on Sunday.

The announcement of Domingo's arrest came two days after a gunman opened fire in a San Diego-area synagogue, killing one person and wounding three others. John Earnest, 19, was taken into custody in the shooting.

There was no indication that the two incidents were connected.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Your guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.</s>A 26-year-old former US Army soldier who served in Afghanistan has been charged with plotting terror attacks in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department said.

allegedly sought to detonate improvised explosive devices containing nails last weekend at a rally in Long Beach that was organised by a white nationalist group, CNN reported.

He was arrested on April 26 after he took receipt of what he thought were pressure cooker bombs, US Attorney Nick Hanna announced at a press conference on Monday.

"Law enforcement was able to identify a man consumed with hate, and bent on mass murder and stop him before he was able to carry out his attack."

Domingo allegedly wanted to "seek retribution for attacks against Muslims" and also considered attacks on Jewish people, churches and law enforcement.

He is accused of targeting "Jews as they walked to synagogue, police officers, a military facility, and crowds at the Santa Monica Pier".

According to the Justice Department, Domingo on March 2 posted a video online professing his Muslim faith and wrote, "America needs another Vegas event", referring to the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October 2017 in which more than 50 people died.

Domingo is a recent convert to Islam, Hanna said.

Following Christchurch mosque shootings in March that killed dozens of people, Domingo posted: "There must be retribution."
A US Army veteran was planning to bomb a white nationalist rally in retribution for the shooting in New Zealand. He was also planning attacks on Jews.