FBI: Florida Man Arrested with Guns, Scouted and Targeted AIPAC

Authorities say a Florida man, Forrest Pemberton, scouted and planned to attack an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) office in Florida. He was arrested with an AR15 rifle, a Luger pistol and ammunition on Saturday. Working off a missing persons tip from his father, court records says law enforcement tracked Pemberton over the course of a few days. Once in custody, he told authorities, he visited the office to “scout” the location and come back later armed, according to court records. Pemberton allegedly told authorities he chose AIPAC because of its “political influence” and wanted to “see if I could make a change.” The description of Victim-1 in the complaint describes the organization’s website as stating, “pro-Israel policies that strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel” which aligns with AIPAC’s website and the target location in the affidavit matches with their office.

A spokesman for AIPAC told Court Watch, “We take these threats very seriously and we are working closely with law enforcement concerning this matter. We will not be deterred by extremists in pursuing our mission to strengthen the relationship with America’s valued ally, Israel. We are deeply appreciative of the FBI's work to stop this individual.”

After the arrest, court records alleged Pemberton changed his mind about committing the attack, saying “it would have been a one-way ticket, in Plantation. I decided I wasn’t ready. I gave up.”

The U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida did not respond to a request for comment. The Federal Defenders office in the Northern District of Florida, which was assigned as counsel to Pemberton, cited office policy of not commenting on ongoing cases.