ORANGE PARK, Fla. — An Orange Park man was arrested after authorities say he provided information on how to make a bomb intended to explode at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony.
Police say Joshua Ryne Goldberg, 20, was talking to a person online who law enforcement officials identified as a Confidential Human Source.
Goldberg gave out information between July and this month about how to make a pressure cooker bomb and fill it with nails, metal and other items dipped in rat poison.
Authorities say he told the person online to put the bomb at a memorial commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks in Kansas City, Missouri.
Several law enforcement agencies are investigating the case, including the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
Goldberg was arrested and charged with giving out information on explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction. If convicted, Goldberg faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
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Neighbors tell Action News Jax that dozens of undercover agents surrounded Goldberg's home in Orange Park with guns drawn Thursday morning. A magistrate judge issued a search warrant for the home on Wednesday and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force took Goldberg into custody less than 24 hours later.
Neighbors said Goldberg stood emotionless on the front porch, shirtless in handcuffs, and that they assumed he was an intruder. Multiple neighbors said they were familiar with the Goldberg family, and said they were aware the family had an older son, but said they had never seen Joshua Goldberg in person.
"They are active in the neighborhood association and their other kids come to community events, but the older son has never even walked down the street that I'm aware of," said Al Keene who lives just two homes away. "I'm not surprised at all if his parents didn't know anything about this. They seem like a great family."
"I know he's allegedly accused, but if they find him guilty, I hope he never gets out of prison," said neighbor Richard Webb.
Frank Goldberg, Joshua Goldberg's father, told Action News Jax that the arrest of his son caught him off guard.
"We are not aware of anything at this point. There has not been a prehearing. We have not been told any information and that's all I can tell you," Frank Goldberg said.
Governor Rick Scott issued a statement in response to the arrest:
“The report of a possible ISIS sympathizer planning a terrorist attack from Florida is infuriating. As we remember the horror of the terrorist attacks on our country on September 11, 2001, the United States must commit every resource to fully eradicating the threat of ISIS. ISIS is evil and intolerant of anyone who does not hold their radical point of view. By committing acts of terror and threatening the lives of Americans, ISIS believes they can scare and intimidate our nation. They are wrong. I want to thank our state and federal law enforcement officers for their hard work to arrest this alleged terror suspect and for all they do to keep our families safe.”
WJAX
