A Florida man has been indicted for allegedly plotting a mass shooting targeting Jewish employees at a pro-Israel nonprofit organization, the US Department of Justice has announced.
Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, faces charges of attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle.
Federal prosecutors alleged that on December 23, 2024, Pemberton attempted to carry out a mass shooting at an office belonging to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying organization that advocates for pro-Israel policies in the United States, in Plantation, South Florida.
According to prosecutors, Pemberton was armed with an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a silencer. The Palm Beach Post previously identified AIPAC as the intended target, although court documents did not name the nonprofit organization.
Investigators said they tracked Pemberton using cellphone geolocation data. Authorities alleged that he planned to volunteer with AIPAC to gain access to the organization before carrying out the attack. He reportedly left his Gainesville home on December 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 AIPAC’s headquarters, it was unoccupied, according to The Palm Beach Post.
The investigation began after Pemberton’s father contacted the Gainesville Police Department to report his son’s disappearance.
The newspaper reported that Pemberton left behind a letter apologizing to his family while expressing his “adversity to authority” and criticizing what he described as the “flaws of modern day.”
“Living in a flawed system haunts me in ways I cannot describe,” he allegedly wrote. “I am breaking the loop.”
Pemberton was stopped by law enforcement in Tallahassee on Christmas Day 2024 while driving a rideshare vehicle. Authorities later located his abandoned pickup truck on the side of a road.
During the traffic stop, Pemberton allegedly told officers he was traveling to Alabama to deliver one of his firearms to an acquaintance.
No arrest was made at that time. Instead, his father was notified, traveled to Tallahassee, and brought him back to Gainesville.
On December 26, 2024, Pemberton agreed to an interview with investigators, who asked whether he had intended to carry out an act of violence.
“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.
If convicted, he faces up to life imprisonment on the attempted hate crime charge, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years on the firearm charge, and up to five years in prison for possessing a short-barreled rifle.
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