(Eagle News) — A Filipino immigrant who was planning a mass shooting at an Islamic Center was arrested in Florida on Monday, Jacksonville authorities said.
According to local media reports, Bernandino Gawala Bolatete was apprehended after he tried to buy a gun silencer from an officer who had gone undercover.
He was charged for possessing a silencer that was not registered to him.
The operation was set up after the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a concerned citizen that the suspect, who reportedly expressed hatred for Muslims, threatened to “shoot up” a mosque in the area.
According to reports, in the course of the investigation, the suspect showed the JSO undercover agent the place where he planned to do the mass shooting.
He also told the officer he had five guns.
“Keep shooting those Muslims, you know, on Friday,” the suspect was quoted as saying.
Bolatete was denied bond on Tuesday after the court found he was a flight risk.
