FBI Thwarts Modesto Man Allegedly Planning Christmas Terror Attack At Pier 39
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS13) – A man allegedly plotting a Christmas attack at San Francisco's Pier 39 in support of ISIS has been thwarted by the FBI.
Everitt Aaron Jameson has been charged and arrested with material support for terrorism.
Per @PaulaReidCBS: DOJ arrested a man accused of plotting Christmas day attack in support of ISIS. Full complaint: https://t.co/bDBRaJLSMI
— Jeff Glor (@jeffglor) December 22, 2017
The complaint against Jameson goes into length about his apparent interest in jihadist groups. Investigators say he was liking pro-ISIS posts on Facebook and had been inspired by the terrorist attack in New York on Oct. 31 where a man crashed into a crowd of people and killed eight.
Jameson had prior military experience, according to the complaint. He also apparently had a "sharpshooter" rifle qualification.
Officials say Jameson laid out his plans with an undercover FBI agent. He allegedly indicated that Pier 39 would be a good target because it was a heavily crowded area.
Further, the court papers say Jameson wanted to use some kind of explosive to funnel people into the area to inflict more casualties. He allegedly discussed testing out the devices in the mountains.
Jameson is a resident of Modesto and had been under surveillance by an FBI detective. He had been working at a local towing company since November.
In a raid on his house, @PaulaReidCBS reports that the FBI found a letter, aimed by the suspect, taking credit for an attack. The letter reference @POTUS & Jerusalem, "you've allowed Donald J. Trump to give away Al Quds to the Jews."
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) December 22, 2017
The complaint also reveals that an FBI employee accidentally called Jameson's phone from a number with a Washington D.C. area code. Jameson called the number back, but the employee let call go to voicemail - which identified the name and not the agency of the caller.
Hours later, Jameson appeared to have second thoughts about the plot - telling the undercover agent "I also don't think I can do this after all. I've reconsidered."
A raid of Jameson's home uncovered a note apparently written by him that takes credit for an attack. The letter references President Donald Trump's decision to support Israel in declaring Jerusalem as its capital.