KEY WEST, Fla. – Jury selection is set to begin for a Florida man accused of conspiring to detonate a bomb at a Florida Keys beach in solidarity with the Islamic State terror group.
Court records show jurors will be questioned in Key West federal court beginning Friday for the trial of 25-year-old Harlem Suarez. Opening statements could occur as soon as Monday.
The FBI says Suarez told an informant he wanted to detonate a backpack bomb on a Key West beach. He was arrested in 2015 after accepting an inert device from an FBI employee posing as a terrorist.
Prosecutors say Suarez drew inspiration from the Islamic State for his alleged plot.
Suarez faces a lengthy prison term if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and supporting terrorism.
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