Authorities alleged that Pemberton planned to volunteer with AIPAC to gain access to the group, scout the office, identify entry points, and return with concealed firearms.
A Florida man has been indicted on federal hate crime and firearm charges after prosecutors said he attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting AIPAC employees because they were Jewish.
Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, allegedly armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a silencer and traveled to the office of a nonprofit organization that lobbies the US government in support of Israel.
According to the Justice Department, Pemberton planned to attack the organization’s employees on Dec. 23, 2024. Investigators said he left home the day before with two rifles and a pistol after leaving a note for his family.
Authorities alleged that Pemberton planned to volunteer with AIPAC to gain access to the group, scout the office, identify entry points, and return with concealed firearms. When he arrived at the building, he believed housed AIPAC’s headquarters, it was empty.
Law enforcement became involved after Pemberton’s father contacted Gainesville police over concerns that his son had disappeared. Relatives later told investigators they found a letter they believed Pemberton wrote before leaving home, in which he said he wanted to “close the loop,” “stoke the flames” and say “goodbye” to his family.
The letter included an apology to his family and references to his "adversity to authority" and the "flaws of modern day."
"Living in a flawed system haunts me in ways I cannot describe," Pemberton allegedly wrote. "I am breaking the loop."
Investigators tracked Pemberton using cellphone geolocation data. He was pulled over in Tallahassee on Christmas Day 2024 while driving a rideshare vehicle. His abandoned pickup truck was later found on the side of a road. During the stop, Pemberton allegedly told authorities he was headed to Alabama to deliver one of his guns to an acquaintance. He was not arrested at the time, and his father later brought him back to Gainesville.
On Dec. 26, Pemberton agreed to be interviewed by investigators. Asked whether he intended to commit violence, he allegedly said, "Um, I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught. If caught, that was the way out."
He was arrested the next day.
Pemberton allegedly told law enforcement that he targeted AIPAC because of its “political influence” and that he wanted to “see if I could make a change.”
He has been charged with attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison on the attempted hate crime count, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years on the firearm count, and up to five years on the possession count.
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