JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 69-year-old Jacksonville man has been arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at an Islamic Center on St. Johns Bluff Road, according to several law enforcement agencies.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, along with the FBI of Jacksonville, started investigating in October Bernandino Gawala Bolatete after a source tipped JSO. The source told police that Bolatete expressed strong anti-Islamic sentiment, including how he wanted to conduct a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, 2333 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S.
JSO said an undercover detective met with Bolatete and confirmed the information they received.
During the investigation, Bolatete made plans to conduct the mass shooting, including obtaining the weaponry to complete the attack, according to JSO Sheriff Mike Williams.
The undercover detective also learned that Bolatete made arrangements to get access to a gun silencer – a prohibited firearm accessory – delivered to his home on December 1.
During the delivery, JSO’s SWAT Unit raided Bolatete’s home on the 13000 block of Eucalyptus Drive and took him into custody.
Bolatete is now in FBI custody and he’s been charged with knowingly receiving and possessing a silencer not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The investigation is ongoing.
Good to know that the FBI is doing its job, despite its lack of support from Trump and other rednecks.