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Trial begins in Key West for man accused in IS bomb plot
KEY WEST, Fla. – A lawyer says a man accused of conspiring to detonate a bomb at a Florida Keys beach has no connection to Islamic State militants.
Prosecutors say 25-year-old Harlem Suarez drew inspiration from the Islamic State and planned to detonate a backpack bomb.
But attorney Richard Della Fera said in an opening statement at the trial of Suarez on Monday that he was goaded along by a paid FBI informant.
The Miami Herald reported (http://hrld.us/2k9DwvP ) that prosecutors portrayed Suarez as someone seeking fame through a bombing. Suarez was arrested in 2015 after accepting an inert device from an FBI employee posing as an extremist.
The two-week trial is taking place in Key West federal court.
Suarez is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and supporting terrorism.
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