Florida

Hospital, Prison for Man in 2016 Aventura Jewish Center Bomb Plot

A Florida man will be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment and likely serve 25 years in prison for plotting to bomb a synagogue and Jewish school center during Passover last year.

A Miami federal judge ordered that sentence Tuesday on 41-year-old James Medina, who pleaded guilty to a religious hate crime and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The maximum sentence is life in prison.

Authorities said Medina planned to attack the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center. Medina was arrested in April 2016 after approaching the center with a fake bomb provided by an undercover FBI informant.

FBI recordings showed Medina supported the Islamic State extremist group and claimed an obligation to attack Jews in the U.S.

His lawyers say Medina suffers from significant mental health problems.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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