Florida man, Sami Osmakac, charged with terror plot

A naturalized American citizen from Florida has been charged with plotting a terrorist spree around Tampa, using explosives in heavily populated areas, as an act of revenge for any wrongs done against Muslims, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sami Osmakac, 25, was born in the former Yugoslavia, and planned to used firearms and explosives to blow up night clubs, destroy bridges and shoot police officers, The New York Times reported. He was arrested Sunday after months of surveillance by the FBI, and after buying firearms and explosives from an undercover FBI agent.

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Before his arrest, Osmakac recorded an eight-minute video holding a pistol and with an AK-47 displayed behind him.

“We all have to die. So why not die the Islamic way?” he asked, according to a 14-page complaint released by the United States attorney’s office in Tampa, The Times reported.

In the video, he said that “Muslim blood was more valuable than that of people who don’t believe in Islam” and he wanted “payback” for any wrong done against Muslims, the Associated Press reported.

The Florida area’s Muslim community helped the FBI and provided information about Osmakac, the AP reported.

"This case is not about the Muslim religion and it's not about the Muslim community," said Steve Ibison, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa Bay division, the AP reported. "It's about an individual who committed a crime."

Osmakac made his first appearance in federal court on Monday and was charged with one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, the LA Times reported. If he is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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