A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has indicted a man with federal hate crime and firearm offenses for allegedly attempting a mass shooting targeting Jews in Plantation, Florida, according to a Thursday press release by the US Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs.
According to court records, Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, armed himself with an AR-15 kitted with a silencer and traveled to an AIPAC office on 23 December, 2024, where he attempted to target the organization’s employees.
The DoJ announcement stated that he targeted the employees because they were Jewish.
He also allegedly told law enforcement that he targeted the pro-Israel group for political reasons, saying that he wanted to “see if I could make a change” to the “status quo,” according to the Jerusalem News Syndicate (JNS).
Pemberton was arrested on 25 December when law enforcement observed him entering a vehicle with a rifle case, after which they confiscated three guns, an AR-15, a Luger pistol, and a Galil rifle, as well as ammunition, the JNS reported.
Charges: Hate crime, violence, and possession of firearms
He is charged with attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle, the report says. He faces potential life in prison, 30 years in prison, and a maximum of five years for the respective crimes.
FBI Jacksonville is still investigating the case, alongside FBI Miami, the ATF, and local police departments.
