Former soldier sought to cause ‘mass murder’ at Sunday rally in Long Beach

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A former U.S. Army infantryman who pledged support to ISIS tried to plant an explosive at a Long Beach park as part of a terrorist attack targeting a rally scheduled in Long Beach, federal authorities announced Monday.

An undercover informant worked with authorities to foil the plot by giving the man inert bombs and arresting him after he traveled to the Bluff Park to do surveillance before the planned attack, authorities said.

According to an affidavit filed in early March, Mark Domingo, 26, of Reseda took steps to manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction “in order to commit mass murder.”

Domingo was arrested Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists. He was scheduled to appear in court this afternoon.

At a press conference in Downtown Los Angeles Monday, Paul Delacourt, assistant FBI field office director, said federal agents were on him from the start.

“We covered him 24/7,” Delacourt said. “At no time were we in the dark.”


Federal authorities gathered for a press conference in Downtown Los Angeles Monday afternoon after announcing the arrest of Mark Domingo, 26, a former U.S. Army infantryman who plotted a terrorist attack at a rally in Long Beach. Photo by Kelly Puente.

As part of the plot, Domingo asked his confidant—who was actually cooperating with the FBI—to find a bomb-maker. Domingo then purchased several hundred nails that could be placed inside the bomb, authorities allege.

“Domingo said he specifically bought three-inch nails because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs,” the affidavit states.

The investigation involving multiple agencies successfully disrupted a “very real threat by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to cause the maximum number of casualties,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna in a prepared statement. “Protecting Americans from terror attacks is the number one priority of the Justice Department, and anyone who plots to use a weapon of mass destruction will be held to account.”

Court papers say Domingo discussed several types of attacks with an informant that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers. He hoped to kill as many 50 people, authorities allege.

Domingo brought up Long Beach as a target after news spread that a group linked to white nationalists was planning a rally there, according to charging documents. But even after the undercover informant told Domingo that the event was likely canceled, he decided to move forward, aiming for a counter-protest that had formed in response to the original rally, the feds allege.

Long Beach Police Chief Robert Chief Robert Luna said local authorities were aware of the situation and were in “constant contact” with the FBI.

Police had a heavy presence at Sunday’s rally, which was peaceful. The event drew about 200 people.

The city released a statement Monday expressing gratitude to federal authorities and police for thwarting the attack.

“The arrest of this suspect took a highly dangerous person off the street who wanted to cause enormous harm to Long Beach and our community,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement.

Alternatively, Domingo talked about targeting the Santa Monica Pier, court papers allege.

“Domingo said that detonating an IED with a timer on the Santa Monica Pier would cause a lot of casualties,” the complaint states.







He said he wanted revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.

A message left on a phone listed for Domingo was not immediately returned.

If convicted as charged, Domingo would face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

https://lbpost.com/news/crime/feds-terr ... tionalism/