Miami

‘Pretty Scared': Neighbors Speak About Miami Man Who Claimed ISIS Sympathy

Neighbors of a Miami man accused of sympathizing with the Islamic State terrorist group said they were shocked to learn of his arrest.

Miguel Moran Diaz, 46, was arrested at his apartment earlier this month by the FBI.

"It makes me scared cause like he lived on the same floor as me and not knowing he was ISIS, so pretty scared," said one neighbor, who didn't want to be identified. "I would like to know what he was planning or thinking about."

NBC 6 obtained exclusive video of Diaz Thursday,

Diaz lived quietly on the fifth floor of the Miami apartment complex with his girlfriend but the FBI says he wanted to buy weapons to shoot people.

Court documents show Diaz, who also used the name Azizi al Hariri, tried to buy a gun from an FBI informant, telling him he's a "lone wolf" for ISIS and that he wanted to scratch ISIS into his shell casings so "they would know there was a sniper in town."

Records showed Diaz also told the informant he owned a collapsible rifle that he could fold up and take inside a stadium undetected.

Neighbors watched as the FBI made the orchestrated arrest outside Diaz's apartment earlier this month.

"Two other trucks, two vans hit him on on the sides and they stopped his truck and they came out with I think with bulletproof vests and M-16s and stuff like that," neighbor Robert Duenes said.

At the home agents found a rifle and close to 300 rounds of ammunition, officials said. The Cuban national remained behind bars Thursday and will stay there until his trial in June. Diaz has pleaded not guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

"I was surprised cause he didn't look like the type to do all that stuff, be in that type of group," said the neighbor who didn't want to be identified.

Court documents also show Diaz was self-employed and worked in construction, as a shuttle driver and as an Uber driver. Uber hasn't confirmed that and a company representative told NBC 6 he had no comment. Uber said it does do criminal background checks. Diaz was a convicted felon who went to prison on a drug charge back in 2005.

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