Ohio Man Arrested on Terror Charges, July Fourth Plot Thwarted

Demetrius Pitts — also known as Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salahadeen Osama Waleed — now faces one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

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July 2, 2018

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Topics:Preventing Terrorism FBI The Midwest Ohio Counter-Terrorism Patrol

Posing as a member of al Qaeda, an undercover agent recorded Pitts saying that he planned on launching an attack in Cleveland for al Qaeda on the 4th of July — during the parade or fireworks at Voinovich Park near a U.S. Coast Guard Station and the Celebreeze Federal Building.

Pitts first came to the attention of the FBI in 2015, after reportedly sending a suspicious message to a California-based political commentary show, and posting messages threatening violence against the U.S. on his social media account.

FBI: Terror suspect planned July 4th attack https://t.co/zHPHlImN1o pic.twitter.com/mHATATiDwo
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 2, 2018

Cleveland terror suspect has Dayton and Cincinnati ties, report shows
https://t.co/t5t6bjQzSi pic.twitter.com/AxOE4DFUwJ
— Dayton Daily News (@daytondailynews) July 2, 2018

An Ohio man who had plotted to attack a Fourth of July celebration in downtown Cleveland was arrested by a Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to the Dayton Daily News .

Demetrius Pitts — also known as Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salahadeen Osama Waleed — now faces one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.