The last time I was in Los Angeles, there were guards at every synagogue. In New York, there are police officers in front of every synagogue. But the media won't talk about Muslim anti-Semitism. Instead it'll pretend that we face a grave Islamophobia threat. Two days from now this story will be buried beneath a deluge of "Muslims fear backlash" stories. And Jews will have to pray in synagogues under assault.
And so we turn to James Gonzalo Medina aka James Muhammad, who converted to Islam, threatened a church and then plotted to bomb a synagogue for Islam.
Medina has a number of prior arrests, including one in August 2012 when he was accused of sending violent threats via text message to a Coral Springs family.
One text read: "By next week, Ima bomb ya [curse word] ... Bring him! I will buy a gun [off] the street and rampage [family member's] church. Murder she wrote," according to the 2012 affidavit.
And at some point, Muhammad/Medina prioritized killing Jews.
One of Medina’s associates informed the FBI source that Medina was planning to martyr himself in a firearms attack on the Aventura synagogue, using AK-47 assault rifles — then, the affidavit said, the conversation turned to claiming responsibility for it. Medina said he liked the source’s idea of using the name of a notorious terrorist group — ISIS or al-Qaida-linked Shabaab — to assume responsibility.
Medina, who told the source he had converted to Islam four years ago, said the planned synagogue attack would inspire other Muslims. Medina would later express his “current hatred for the Jewish people,” the affidavit said.
An FBI undercover employee questioned Medina about his resolve: “You’re sure this is something you want to do?” Medina answered: “I feel like it’s my calling,” adding he was “comfortable” with killing innocent women and children.
Initially, an FBI confidential source met with Medina and two of his associates in late March and discussed the attack plan for the first time, according to an FBI affidavit. In early April, Medina talked about the timing of the assault with the source, who mistakenly suggested it could be carried out in a couple of weeks on the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur — not realizing the upcoming holiday was Passover.
Medina’s response: “... that’ll be a good day to go and bomb them,” the affidavit said.
Before his arrest, Medina made three videos with his cellphone: In the first, he was recorded saying, “Aventura, watch your back. ISIS is in the house.” In the second, he said, “Today is gonna be a day where Muslims attack America. I’m going to set a bomb in Aventura.” And in the third, he said his good-byes to his family.
And yes, he knew what he was doing. The "not a Muslim" thing did not fly.
CHS: MEDINA doesn't have passion.
TI: No, no listen, listen, listen ... no no it's possible. I always knew in my heart ...
CHS: MEDINA is suicidal, he's not a Muslim.
TI: No, no, no, no listen, listen, listen. When, when I first met him, you know what he taught me. He taught me something you know. It's not like he's not knowledgeable. It's not like he's not bullshit.
CHS: It's ok.
TI: It's not like he's not religious.
CHS was the FBI's informant.
On April 1, 2016, MEDINA met with the CHS and at one point, while driving around in the CHS's car, MEDINA directed the CHS to the synagogue in Aventura, the site of MEDINA's intended attack. MEDINA described the synagogue ("it's a real big one"), and when they drove up to it, MEDINA pointed it out ("[Y]ou see the, the, the David's triangle star.") Then MEDINA redirected the conversation from the location of the attack to its timing. MEDINA stated, "You see it there. And you see, I mean that's where it is, but you gotta know when to go like."
MEDINA explained some of his religious philosophies that form the basis for his current hatred for Jewish people... MEDINA explained that if he would conduct an attack be would want to do it at a synagogue because Jewish people are the ones causing the world's wars and conflicts.
MEDINA further explained that attacking one synagogue would give hope and light to other Muslims in America.
MEDINA further explained that the "plot" that he and BH had discussed allowed them to "strike back to the Jews, by going to a synagogue and just spraying everybody ... ' cause we're Muslims you know what I mean? It's a war man and it's like it's time to strike back here in America." MEDINA then stated that he wanted to go inside to kill people while the others shot people as they were fleeing the scene.
MEDINA then commented that the news coverage could galvanize Muslims to worldwide action: "I wanna see it go worldwide with now all the Muslims realizing you know, when it's our time .. . Next thing you know it will be in California, Washington, and the brothers are saying you know, it's our time now."
MEDINA then discussed placing the bomb in the parking lot of the synagogue, and added, " [W]e can just lay one out there and then bomb it later ... I'd like to put it like, as close as possible, to the door."
MEDINA envisioned a terrorist operation that would inflict maximum casualties, commenting "'Cause, uh, I'm sure this is gonna be hammered. All these people gonna die." He provided detailed instructions to the CHS about how to drop him off and then pick him up after the bomb had been strategically placed.
MEDINA again recounted the operational plan, with emphasis on the fact that it shoUld be when the synagogue is full of people: "[Y]ou just let me in there real quick, and I find my opportunity to walk in while the service already started ... When I see, uh, I find the clearance, it's where you're gonna tell me, okay now, pull up and drop me off." MEDINA flatly told the CHS, "Oh my God, I can't wait."
MEDINA told a story about a Jewish woman he had met earlier who had given him a ride. A discussion had ensued regarding her fear of Muslims once she realized MEDINA was a Muslim and her thoughts that MEDINA might kill her. Thereafter, MEDINA remarked to the UCE and the CHS that he had told her, "[Y]ou know, we're, we're just getting bombed for no reason, and it was time to get out. But it made me just think more that, you know, it just, when she said that you will kill me, I'm thinking yeah man, I want to. You know what I mean? I really do ... "
The UCE asked, "Why do you wanna do this?" MEDINA responded, "Because I realize that I have a lot of love for Allah. And I know that all these, all these wars that are going on, it hurts me, too. You know? It's my call of duty. I gotta 10 get back, when I'm doing this, I feel that I'm doing it for a good cause for Allah."
MEDINA's comments prompted the UCE to ask another question about his motivation, "What message are you sending?" The UCE wanted to know more about MEDINA's purpose in attacking the synagogue, including what claim of responsibility would be made. MEDINA answered that "I'm gonna call that it's ISIS in America." MEDINA plainly told the UCE that "I do want to get the bomb," and though he had considered using an AK.-47 assault rifle to "just go in there and rampage everybody," he concluded, "Well I'd like to use the bomb." MEDINA added, "And I'm hoping that that one bomb can just cause a big damage you know? And let them realize that their Yom Kippur's going down."
MEDINA responded that it is Allah's will and that he's not crazy and reckless to the point where he would get the UCE arrested: "No I'm not like that." The UCE cautioned MEDINA one more time that "once you do this, there's no going back." MEDINA reiterated his plan to personally deposit the bomb, and after it detonated, enjoy watching the news coverage of the attack: "That we, they, whatever they're sayin', that they're being bombed and all of that ... , and knowing that it was from us. And just getting' a joy that I'm doing this you know, I did it. It worked out. And whatever happens, it's for the glory of Allah."
2 days.
Then the media will be running stories about how Islamophobia is the real problem and Muslim anti-Semitism doesn't actually exist. Then The Nation will be doing sob stories about Medina claiming that he was a mentally unstable man used as a pawn by the FBI, just like they're still doing for synagogue bomber Ahmed Ferhani in New York.