Army Vet Who Converted To Islam 'Wanted To Kill Jews', Bomb White Nationalist Rally

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) - Federal investigators say a San Fernando Valley man was planning to detonate a bomb at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach.

Mark Domingo of Reseda was arrested Friday on a charge of providing material support to terrorists.

Domingo, a U.S. Army vet who served in Afghanistan, was arrested after he received what he thought was a bomb, but was actually an inert device supplied to him by an undercover law enforcement officer, federal officials said.

In a news conference Monday, authorities with the U.S. Attorney's Office, FBI, and LAPD said Domingo discussed several types of attacks with an informant that included targeting Jews, churches and police officers and that he "wanted to kill Jews as they walked to synagogue... or attack crowds at the Santa Monica Pier".

He is also accused of plotting to place improvised explosive devices on L.A.-area freeways, CBSLA's Dave Lopez reported.

Domingo told an FBI informant he sought revenge for attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people last month.

According to a FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Domingo plotted during March and April "to manufacture and use a weapon of
mass destruction in order to commit mass murder."

"On April 23 and 24, 2019, Domingo purchased several hundred nails to be used as shrapnel inside an explosive device, and provided the nails to a person whom Domingo believed to be a collaborator, but who was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer working for the FBI, for the purpose of having the (officer) manufacture weapons of mass destruction for Domingo to use in an upcoming attack," according to the affidavit.

Once the dummy bombs were delivered to Domingo Friday by two undercover operatives, Domingo then walked the area of the planned Long Beach rally with the operatives to determine the best place to plant the bombs "in order to inflict the maximum number of deaths."

A statement from the Domingo family to CBSLA's Greg Mills read in part: "We do not know what is going on at this point. We are surprised by all these events in regard with Mark. I hope you will respect our privacy in this matter."

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)