Latest news with #JointTerrorismTaskForce
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Scary photos show bomb wrapped in cellophane found in Cali man's bedroom as his messages to ISIS revealed
Shocking photographs show what appears to be a homemade bomb wrapped in cellophane, reportedly recovered from the bedroom of a California man accused of supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, was arrested Friday morning and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization - a felony offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. His arrest comes after federal agents with the FBI 's Joint Terrorism Task Force recovered knives and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device inside his Long Beach home. According to officials, the bomb-like device, discovered in his bedroom, was packed with ball bearings, wrapped in cellophane, and wired with red and black electrical cords. The horrifying discovery came as investigators also uncovered disturbing messages Villanueva, a lawful permanent U.S. resident originally from the Philippines, exchanged with individuals he believed to be ISIS fighters. According to court documents, the 28-year-old used social media to communicate with two individuals who identified themselves as ISIS fighters. During these communications, Villanueva discussed his desire to support ISIS, and offered to send money to the ISIS fighters to support their terrorist activities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He expressed a desire to join their ranks, writing, 'It's an honor to fight and die for our faith. It's the best way to go to heaven,' and later adding, 'Someday soon, I'll be joining.' Villanueva also allegedly told one of the individuals that he possessed the lethal weapons - a bomb and knives - which authorities later recovered from his home on the 3000 block of Caspian Avenue. Prosecutors added that the Long Beach resident sent a total of 12 payments, amounting to $1,615, over a five-month span using Western Union, to two intermediaries who accessed the funds overseas. 'Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world,' Patrick Grandy, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said. 'Thanks to the proactive efforts by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and our partners safely arrested Mr. Villanueva today and prevented further support and spreading of ISIS ideology.' Villanueva was also found to have asked one of the individuals back in February if the money he sent would 'cover your equipment and your weapons'. 'Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security,' Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. 'We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies.' Following his arrest, Villanueva's neighbors expressed shock at his 'unexpected' behavior, describing their neighbor as quiet and unassuming. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said federal authorities 'will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies' 'I don't know what to think. It's kind of scary,' Heliodoro Becerra, a neighbor of Villanueva's told KTLA. 'You see your neighbors, but you don't see what they're doing inside their house.' Although federal authorities allege Villanueva believed he was speaking with ISIS fighters, some experts warn that he may have been communicating with undercover agents. 'There is nothing in the criminal complaint that makes it clear he was actually talking to ISIS,' Hal Kempfer, a retired Marine intelligence officer, told KTLA. 'He could very well have been talking to law enforcement working undercover online.' Still, Kempfer emphasized the continued risk posed by individuals self-radicalizing from their homes. 'You probably wouldn't notice a neighbor who is self-radicalizing online at night,' he said. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin S. Scott of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, with assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force continues to investigate. Villanueva appeared in a Los Angeles court after his Friday arrest, where he was ordered to be held without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for August 15 at the Roybal Federal Building. ISIS, also known as ISIL or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is a Sunni jihadist group with a particularly violent ideology that calls itself a caliphate and claims religious authority over all Muslims, according to
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
FBI arrests man in California for allegedly attempting to provide financial support to ISIS; explosives seized
Federal agents have arrested a man in California on allegations he sent a dozen payments to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), FBI Los Angeles announced on Friday. Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars. Villanueva, residing in Long Beach, is a lawful permanent resident of the Philippines, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. "Mr. Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world," Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, Patrick Grandy, said in a statement. "Thanks to the proactive efforts by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and our partners safely arrested Mr. Villanueva today and prevented further support and spreading of ISIS ideology," he continued. According to an affidavit, Villanueva used social media to speak with two people who self-identified as ISIS fighters. During their conversations, Villanueva discussed his desire to support ISIS and offered to send money to the terrorist group's fighters to support their activities. Villanueva allegedly told one of the self-identified ISIS fighters that he wanted to fight for ISIS himself. "It's an honor to fight and die for our faith. It's the best way to go to heaven," he allegedly said at one point. "Someday soon, I'll be joining," he also said. Villanueva told the other fighter that he had a bomb and knives. The FBI recovered what appeared to be a bomb from Villanueva's bedroom when he was arrested Friday morning. In February, Villanueva offered to send money to one of the ISIS fighters and asked whether the money would "cover your equipment and your weapons." He also discussed sending the money through an intermediary. According to Western Union records, Villanueva allegedly sent 12 payments totaling $1,615 over the course of five months to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas. "Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said. "We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man indicted on charges from pipe bomb explosions
Jun. 11—A federal grand jury indicted a Hamilton County man Wednesday on federal crimes related to explosive devices. Robert Gilb, 50, of Green Twp., allegedly detonated three improvised explosive devices, or pipe bombs, in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April. He was arrested Tuesday by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. He possessed an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials, the press release says. "This alleged activity posed a serious risk to public safety. The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to neutralize this potential danger and protect the community." Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to Miami Twp. for a report of a loud explosion. What appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device were found, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The FBI investigation revealed there were two previous incidents in Morgan Twp. in Butler County that appeared to have had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Twp. Butler County Sheriff's deputies responded to incidents March 23 and March 28. The FBI said witnesses saw Gilb in a white BMW near the site of at least one of the locations of the explosion. Gilb is charged with three counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device and three counts of transporting explosive materials. Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
FBI accuses Green Twp. man of detonating homemade bombs in woods across Greater Cincinnati
The FBI arrested a Green Township man this week they say is responsible for detonating homemade explosives in wooded areas across Greater Cincinnati. Robert Gilb, 50, was arrested June 10 by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force after agents connected Gilb to at least three explosions in Hamilton and Butler counties. The federal investigation began in April after Hamilton County sheriff's deputies responded to a loud explosion and white smoke in a wooded area off East Miami River Road in Cleves. There, deputies found a small pipe, a small piece of wire and 10 batteries housed together in the radius of 50 feet, according to a sheriff's office incident report. The FBI took over the investigation and connected it to two similar explosions in Butler County a month earlier. Butler County sheriff's deputies told the FBI in March they went to a neighborhood in Okeana, a small unincorporated community off State Route 126, for a dispute between neighbors. The dispute followed an explosion nearby similar to the one in Cleves. Then, days later, a witness to another explosion nearby reported seeing a white BMW parked prior to the detonation. Authorities learned Gilb was the owner of that BMW. After talking to "multiple witnesses," a federal agent wrote in court documents Gilb was identified as a person involved in construction explosives. Gilb faces charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials without a permit, according to court records. Those are federal crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly Norris said in a news release. Gilb is expected next in federal court in Cincinnati on June 12 at 1:30 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FBI: Green Twp. man blew up homemade bombs in Cincinnati-area woods
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Two people killed in 'anti-Semitic terrorism' as police swarm street
A man and a woman have been shot dead in the street of a busy city centre near a Jewish museum. Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 10.30pm on Wednesday (3.30am Thursday in UK) in the US capital, reports local media. Police officers have warned members of the public to avoid the area around the Capital Jewish Museum in Penn Quarter, Washington DC, following the incident. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is responding, sources familiar with the shooting told News4 in the US. Police have asked people to avoid the area whiley they investigate. No further details about the man and woman, such as their names, their relationship if they knew each other, and their ages, have been disclosed by police at this stage Multiple sources are suggesting the shooting was terror-related. The Mirror is working to verify this. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has tweeted: "The shooting outside the event at the Jewish Museum in Washington – in which Israeli embassy employees were also injured – is a criminal act of anti-Semitic terrorism. Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line. "We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world."
