CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An individual has been arrested and charged with attempted material support of a foreign terrorist organization for planning an attack on July 4 in downtown Cleveland.

According to a press release from the Cleveland Division of the FBI, a press conference will be held Monday morning to release details.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Anthony, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman, Cleveland police Chief Calvin Williams and officials from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force will be at the 9:15 a.m. press conference.

The event will stream LIVE on Fox8.com.

Stick with Fox 8 and Fox8.com for more.</s>CLEVELAND – Federal authorities have arrested a man who allegedly planned a terrorist-style attack in downtown Cleveland on July 4.

The FBI said Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts -- aka Abdur Raheem Rafeeq -- was taken into custody Sunday around 10 a.m. on accusations of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

"He talked about wanting to target people watching fireworks over downtown Cleveland," United States Attorney Justin Herdman said.

NOTE: You can see a full copy of Pitts' affidavit at the bottom of this story.

Pitts will make his first court appearance at 2 p.m. Monday.

Last week, Pitts allegedly told an undercover agent: "I did tell myself that their holiday is coming up. The Fourth of July. Independence Day. What would hit them in the core? Blow up. Have a bomb. Blow up at the Fourth of July parade."

Authorities say Pitts talked about hitting targets like St. John's Cathedral and giving remote control cars packed with explosives and shrapnel to the children of military members.

"Just last week, this defendant was walking around downtown Cleveland conducting reconnaissance on what he thought was a large-scale attack planned for the Fourth of July," Herdman said. "He looked for locations to park a van that would be packed with explosives."

Among the places he allegedly explored within his plan were Voinovich Park and the U.S. Coast Guard Station.

On Sunday during his final meeting with an undercover agent, authorities say Pitts expressed allegiance to Al-Qaeda and discussed his desire to kill military personnel and their families. He also allegedly wanted to conduct a future attack in Philadelphia, a place he previously lived.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson issued the following statement in regards to Pitts' arrest: "I want to thank the FBI and all the members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force -- men and women whose primary goal is to make Northeast Ohio safe. These law enforcement partners continue to secure us against those who seek to disrupt our way of life through violence and the threat of terrorist acts."

The FBI in Cincinnati began investigating Pitts in 2017 amid concerns he was making statements of violent intentions while living in southern Ohio. In May, he relocated to the Cleveland area where the local FBI office picked up the investigation.

Authorities said he also made some "disturbing" Facebook posts with comments urging other Muslims to learn how to shoot guns and throw hand grenades.

"Additional conversations with extremely concerning statements of intentions made by Pitts are specified in the federal complaint," said Stephen Anthony, FBI Special Agent in Charge. "They include topics such as hatred for the military, wanting to chop off heads and hands and disposing of bodies."

Pitts, who has an extensive criminal history, is a United States citizen.

You can watch the entire FBI press conference here:</s>CLEVELAND – Federal authorities have arrested a man who allegedly planned a terrorist-style attack in downtown Cleveland on July 4.

The FBI said Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts -- aka Abdur Raheem Rafeeq -- was taken into custody Sunday around 10 a.m. on accusations of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

"He talked about wanting to target people watching fireworks over downtown Cleveland," United States Attorney Justin Herdman said.

NOTE: You can see a full copy of Pitts' affidavit at the bottom of this story.

Pitts will make his first court appearance at 2 p.m. Monday.

Last week, Pitts allegedly told an undercover agent: "I did tell myself that their holiday is coming up. The Fourth of July. Independence Day. What would hit them in the core? Blow up. Have a bomb. Blow up at the Fourth of July parade."

Authorities say Pitts talked about hitting targets like St. John's Cathedral and giving remote control cars packed with explosives and shrapnel to the children of military members.

"Just last week, this defendant was walking around downtown Cleveland conducting reconnaissance on what he thought was a large-scale attack planned for the Fourth of July," Herdman said. "He looked for locations to park a van that would be packed with explosives."

Among the places he allegedly explored within his plan were Voinovich Park and the U.S. Coast Guard Station.

On Sunday during his final meeting with an undercover agent, authorities say Pitts expressed allegiance to Al-Qaeda and discussed his desire to kill military personnel and their families. He also allegedly wanted to conduct a future attack in Philadelphia, a place he previously lived.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson issued the following statement in regards to Pitts' arrest: "I want to thank the FBI and all the members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force -- men and women whose primary goal is to make Northeast Ohio safe. These law enforcement partners continue to secure us against those who seek to disrupt our way of life through violence and the threat of terrorist acts."

The FBI in Cincinnati began investigating Pitts in 2017 amid concerns he was making statements of violent intentions while living in southern Ohio. In May, he relocated to the Cleveland area where the local FBI office picked up the investigation.

Authorities said he also made some "disturbing" Facebook posts with comments urging other Muslims to learn how to shoot guns and throw hand grenades.

"Additional conversations with extremely concerning statements of intentions made by Pitts are specified in the federal complaint," said Stephen Anthony, FBI Special Agent in Charge. "They include topics such as hatred for the military, wanting to chop off heads and hands and disposing of bodies."

Pitts, who has an extensive criminal history, is a United States citizen.

You can watch the entire FBI press conference here:</s>CLEVELAND (AP) — Federal authorities say they’ve arrested a man who talked about setting off a bomb at a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland and attacking people watching fireworks.

Officials said Monday that the man who’s an American citizen often expressed his support for al-Qaida and said he wanted to kill members of the U.S. military.

Authorities have charged Demetrius Pitts with attempted support of a terrorist organization. There are no court records listing an attorney for Pitts, who lives in the Cleveland area and was arrested Sunday.

FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony says Pitts scouted out locations this past week for a site to attack in downtown Cleveland.

Anthony says it’s not clear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he says authorities couldn’t sit back and wait.

Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook</s>CLEVELAND – The FBI is expected to release details Monday of “an individual being charged with attempted material support of a foreign terrorist organization for planning an attack on July 4 in downtown Cleveland.”

Authorities will reveal more information on the arrest during a news conference at 9:15 a.m. ET, according to the Cleveland office of the FBI.

No additional information will be made available until the news conference.</s>CLEVELAND (AP) - Federal authorities say they've arrested a man who talked about setting off a bomb at a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland and attacking people watching fireworks.

Officials said Monday that the man who's an American citizen often expressed his support for al-Qaida and said he wanted to kill members of the U.S. military.

Authorities have charged Demetrius Pitts with attempted support of a terrorist organization. There are no court records listing an attorney for Pitts, who lives in the Cleveland area and was arrested Sunday.

FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony says Pitts scouted out locations this past week for a site to attack in downtown Cleveland.

Anthony says it's not clear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he says authorities couldn't sit back and wait.</s>CLEVELAND (AP) - Federal authorities say they've arrested a man who talked about setting off a bomb at a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland and attacking people watching fireworks.

Officials said Monday that the man who's an American citizen often expressed his support for al-Qaida and said he wanted to kill members of the U.S. military.

Authorities have charged Demetrius Pitts with attempted support of a terrorist organization. There are no court records listing an attorney for Pitts, who lives in the Cleveland area and was arrested Sunday.

FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony says Pitts scouted out locations this past week for a site to attack in downtown Cleveland.

Anthony says it's not clear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he says authorities couldn't sit back and wait.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>(Reuters) - FBI officials arrested a man who discussed setting off a bomb during Fourth of July celebrations in Cleveland, the bureau’s top agent in the Ohio city said on Monday.

Demetrius Pitts, who had expressed allegiance to the al Qaeda militant group, was arrested on Sunday after a meeting with an undercover FBI agent where he said he planned to plant a bomb at a parade celebrating the U.S. Independence Day holiday and would target other locations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

“What would hit them in the core? ... Blow up. Have a bomb. Blow up at the Fourth of July parade,” Stephen Anthony, the FBI’s head agent in Cleveland, quoted Pitts as saying. Anthony also told a news conference that the man was “willing to chop off hands and heads.”

Pitts, 48, is from the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights, Ohio, the FBI said in a statement.

Like many other American cities, downtown Cleveland puts on a fireworks display to celebrate July 4.

Cities typically ramp up security around such events.

“This defendant, by his own words and by his own deeds, wanted to attack our nation and its ideals,” said Justin Herdman, the U.S. attorney for northern Ohio. “He wanted us to be afraid to speak our minds. He also wanted us to be afraid to gather together in public places.”

Pitts was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

Officials said Pitts is an American citizen who had been radicalized in the United States.

In 2015, U.S. law enforcement officials said they had arrested more than 10 people inspired by the Islamic State militant group ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, saying the arrests had disrupted planned attacks.

A pair of ethnic Chechen brothers inspired by al Qaeda killed three people and injured more than 260 with a pair of homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon in 2013.

Eight people were killed in New York last Oct. 31 when an Uzbek immigrant was accused of using a truck to plow them down on a bike path. The suspect told police that he chose Halloween for the attack because he thought there would be more people on the streets, according to prosecutors.</s>Federal authorities say they've arrested a man who talked about setting off a bomb at a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland and attacking people watching fireworks.

Officials said Monday that the man who's an American citizen often expressed his support for al-Qaida and said he wanted to kill members of the U.S. military.

Authorities have charged Demetrius Pitts with attempted support of a terrorist organization. There are no court records listing an attorney for Pitts, who lives in the Cleveland area and was arrested Sunday.

FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony says Pitts scouted out locations this past week for a site to attack in downtown Cleveland.

Anthony says it's not clear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he says authorities couldn't sit back and wait.</s>CLEVELAND/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Ohio man arrested on suspicion of planning to detonate a bomb at Cleveland’s Fourth of July celebrations and then stand by and watch “it go off” was granted a public defender on Monday during his initial court appearance.

FBI agents on Sunday arrested Demetrius Pitts, 48, after he met with an undercover agent and said he planned to plant a bomb at an event celebrating the U.S. Independence Day holiday in the Ohio city.

Pitts, a U.S. citizen and Philadelphia native who had expressed allegiance to the al Qaeda militant group, intended to target other locations in Cleveland and Philadelphia, the agency said.

An undercover FBI agent helped Pitts pick the location for his planned attack. The site is near multiple U.S. government buildings and a scheduled fireworks show along the city’s Lake Erie waterfront.

“I’m gonna be downtown when the – when the thing go off. I’m gonna be somewhere cuz I wanna see it go off,” Pitts told an undercover agent who he believed was affiliated with al Qaeda, according to court documents.

Most American cities and towns mark the holiday with fireworks and parades, and typically ramp up security around such events.

In 2015, U.S. law enforcement officials said they had arrested more than 10 people inspired by the Islamic State militant group ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, saying the arrests had disrupted planned attacks.

Pitts also suggested giving the children of military personnel remote control cars packed with explosives during the event, in the hope they would unwittingly detonate the bombs, the FBI said.

Pitts, most recently of the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights, has criminal and traffic convictions in Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, dating back to 1989 through 2006. He served time in prison for a 1993 robbery in the area.

In his latest run-in with law enforcement, he was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

He appeared in court wearing glasses, a gray T-shirt, khaki shorts and black sneakers with the laces removed. He told the judge he was unemployed and was assigned to the public defender’s office.

Pitts also discussed possibly traveling to San Francisco for reconnaissance for al Qaeda, the FBI said.

Relatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

“This defendant, by his own words and by his own deeds, wanted to attack our nation and its ideals,” said Justin Herdman, the U.S. attorney for northern Ohio.

According to one of two of his Facebook pages, Pitts attended culinary school in Philadelphia, lived in Chicago and went to high school in Lincoln City, Oregon.

The FBI reviewed the Ohio suspect’s Facebook account, which appeared to have been taken down on Monday, after receiving a tip and determined that Pitts was “threatening violence against the United States,” the FBI said.

Demetrius Pitts, 48, arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda, is seen in this booking photo taken while in custody with North Olmsted Police Department in North Olmsted, Ohio, U.S., July 2, 2018. Courtesy North Olmsted Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

In January 2017, under the name Abdur Raheem Rafeeq, Pitts commented on pictures believed to be of a training camp for militants.

But officials said he had been radicalized in the United States.

“We need to known how to shoot guns... We should always be prepared to fight in the name of Allah Akbar,” the post read, according to the FBI.
FBI agents arrest a Cleveland man they say told an undercover agent he was planning to bomb a July 4th celebration.