The FBI on Monday announced the arrests of two people connected to a pair of separate terrorist plots.
The first suspect, identified as 21-year-old Damon M. Joseph, of Holland, Ohio, is accused of planning an attack on a Toledo area synagogue.
Joseph is charged with attempting to provide material to ISIS. He was arrested Friday after authorities say he took possession of a pair of AR-15 rifles.
The second suspect, identified as 23-year-old Elizabeth Lecron, of Toledo, is charged with transportation of explosives and explosive material for the purposes of harming others and property.
Joseph drew attention earlier this year when he began posting photos of guns knives and an image originating from ISIS to his social media accounts. He began corresponding with undercover FBI agents and revealed he was a supporter of ISIS. He also made videos in hopes of recruiting to ISIS.
In late October, Joseph told an undercover agent he admired Robert D. Bower, the man charged in the Pittsburgh area synagogue shooting that left 11 dead.
"I can see myself carrying out this type of operation inshallah. They wouldn’t even expect [at attack] in my area...” Joseph said, according to a news release issued by the Department of Justice on Monday.
On Dec. 2, Joseph forwarded a document detailing his plans of an attack, referring to himself as “Abdullah Ali Yusuf.” Two days later, he said he was deciding between two Toledo area synagogues to carry out the attack, stating his decision depended on “Which one will have the most people, what time and what day. Go big or go home.”
On the next day, Joseph met with an undercover FBI agent and discussed his plans more, identifying the two synagogues he was considering for the attack. He also detailed the types of weapons he would use to inflict the most mass casualties, adding he wanted to kill a rabbi.
On Dec. 6, Joseph revealed the location of his planned attack, issuing photos of the synagogue to an undercover agent. The next day, Joseph met with an undercover agent and displayed two AR-15 rifles. He was arrested at the scene.
Officials say Lecron bought black powder and hundreds of screws with the intention of building a bomb.
Authorities caught on to Lecron earlier this year when one of her associates expressed desire to conduct a violent attack.
Lecron's social media pages showed photographs and comments glorifying mass murderers, including praise of Columbine shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. Lecron and an associate even flew to Colorado to visit Columbine High School. After that, Lecron began corresponding with Dylann Roof, who was convicted of killing nine in a 2015 church shooting in Charleston, S.C.
When Lecron began communicating with an undercover agent in August, she revealed plans to commit a mass murder at a Toledo bar.
Later that month, Lecron said she wanted to meet other anarchists in order to form a team, expressing desire to damage a livestock farm to set livestock free. She later said she was willing to sabotage anything that harms the environment. A week later, she said she planned to shift her focus because she could not find a livestock farm that raises pigs and cows.
Lecron met with an undercover agent in September and revealed she had started making a pipe bomb, noting her place of employment would be an ideal target because she believed the plant was polluting the river.
On Dec. 8, Lecron met with a source at a sporting goods store, where she entered the store by herself and purchased two pounds of Hodgson Triple Seven Muzzleloading Propellant. She then went to a larger retailer in Perrysburg, where she bought 665 screws of various sizes, some as large as three inches.
Prior to her arrest, Lecron said to the source, “So I guess I’ll talk to you when the deed is done? ...I’m very excited... stick it to him, man…be safe.”
Lecron is scheduled to appear in court Monday at 3:30 p.m.