CLEVELAND – Federal authorities say they’ve arrested a man who talked about setting off a bomb at a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland and attacking people watching fireworks.
Officials said Monday that the man who’s an American citizen often expressed his support for al-Qaida and said he wanted to kill members of the U.S. military.
Authorities have charged Demetrius Pitts with attempted support of a terrorist organization. There are no court records listing an attorney for Pitts, who lives in the Cleveland area and was arrested Sunday.
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FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony says Pitts scouted out locations this past week for a site to attack in downtown Cleveland.
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Anthony says it’s not clear how close Pitts was to carrying out his threats, but he says authorities couldn’t sit back and wait.