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A Florida man has been indicted for allegedly plotting a mass shooting targeting Jewish employees at a pro-Israel nonprofit organization, the Justice Department said.
Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, is charged with an attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle.
Federal prosecutors said that on Dec. 23, 2024, Pemberton attempted to carry out a shooting at an office belonging to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a group that lobbies the U.S. government in support of Israel, in the South Florida city of Plantation.
He was reportedly armed with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a silencer. The Palm Beach Post previously reported that AIPAC was the targeted group. Court documents didn’t specify the nonprofit.
Critics of AIPAC have said the group defends the actions of conservative Israeli governments, including expansionist settlement policies in the West Bank and aggressive military campaigns, while opposing conditions or restrictions on U.S. military aid to Israel.
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A visitor holds an AIPAC folder in an elevator at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2024. A Florida man is charged with plotting to carry out an attack at an AIPAC building in 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
If convicted, Pemberton faces up to life in prison on the attempted hate crime count, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years in prison on the firearm count, and up to five years in prison on the possession count.
Investigators traced Pemberton using cellphone geolocation technology. He allegedly planned to volunteer for AIPAC in an effort to gain access to the group and carry out a deadly attack. Authorities said he left his home on Dec. 22, 2024, with two rifles and a pistol after leaving a note for his family.
However, when he arrived at the building he believed to be the AIPAC headquarters, the structure was empty, The Palm Beach Post previously reported.
Law enforcement initially became involved in the case when Pemberton’s father called the Gainesville Police Department out of concern over his son’s disappearance. The newspaper reported that Pemberton left a letter apologizing to his family and discussing his “adversity to authority” and the “flaws of modern day.”
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The Justice Department seal. (Brendan Smialowski/Afp)
“Living in a flawed system haunts me in ways I cannot describe,” he allegedly wrote. “I am breaking the loop.”
Pemberton was pulled over in Tallahassee on Christmas Day 2024 while driving a rideshare vehicle. His abandoned pickup truck was subsequently found by authorities on the side of a road. At the time, Pemberton allegedly told authorities that he was on his way to Alabama to deliver one of his guns to an acquaintance.
No arrest was made during that traffic stop. Pemberton’s father was notified, traveled to Tallahassee, and brought his son back to Gainesville.
On Dec. 26, 2024, Pemberton agreed to be interviewed by investigators, who asked if he had intended to commit an act of violence.
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“Um, I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not,” he allegedly said. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught. If caught, that was the way out.”
Pemberton was arrested the following day. Fox News Digital has reached out to ZAIPAC.