FBI says it stopped Florida man's plot targeting pro-Israel group

Jay Weaver, Miami Herald on Jan 2, 2025

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MIAMI — Two days before Christmas and the start of Hannukah, the father of a Gainesville man reported to police that his son was missing from the family’s home under suspicious circumstances: His weapons and laptop computer were no longer in his bedroom.

He also left behind a foreboding letter in which he made “anti-authority statements,” according to the FBI.

It turned that Forrest K. Pemberton had traveled in an old Ford pick-up truck to the Fort Lauderdale area to case out the regional office of an influential U.S-based pro-Israel organization, the FBI says. He was suspected of trying to carry out an alleged plot to kill employees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s office on Pine Island Road in Plantation, which the FBI says it thwarted.

Pemberton, arrested by FBI agents on Monday, is accused of traveling to AIPAC’s Plantation office on Dec. 22 and 23 to “scout” the area and then return to the location with “concealed” firearms, according an affidavit filed with a federal criminal complaint in the Northern District of Florida.

Pemberton, 26, who faces a federal stalking charge, is accused of targeting the organization’s office with the intent of “killing, injuring, harassing, and intimidating” people at AIPAC’s office. Still in custody, Pemberton has a detention hearing on Monday at the federal court in Gainesville.

Prosecutors plan to ask a magistrate judge to detain Pemberton, saying in court papers that he’s a danger to the community and a risk of flight. His assistant public defender, Darren Johnson, declined to comment on Thursday about the case.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, is a national advocacy organization that lobbies Congress and the White House.

“We take these threats very seriously and we are working closely with law enforcement concerning this matter,” AIPAC said in a statement. “We will not be deterred by extremists in pursuing our mission to strengthen the relationship with America’s valued ally, Israel. We are deeply appreciative of the FBI’s work to stop this individual.”

According to the affidavit written by an FBI special agent in the Miami field office, Pemberton was tracked by law enforcement to a hotel less than two miles from the AIPAC’s Plantation address on Dec. 22 and 23. He cased out what he believed was the address of the pro-Israel organization, based on its website, but AIPAC had recently moved to another location in Plantation.

After a couple of days in South Florida, Pemberton returned to North Florida, where was placed under surveillance in Tallahassee on Dec. 24 and 25.

The affidavit says Pemberton was spotted in a ride-share vehicle on Christmas in Florida’s capital carrying three firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, a 9mm Luger pistol and a Galil rifle, along with ammunition. Police stopped the vehicle and confiscated his weapons and ammo.

Law enforcement officers questioned Pemberton on Dec. 26 about his travels to AIPAC’s Plantation office. He said that three days before Christmas he had walked from his family’s home in Gainesville to Ocala, where he said he paid $400 for a Ford F-150 truck, year unspecified, and drove it to the Plantation area, according to the affdidavit.

Pemberton said he chose to target the pro-Israel organization “because of its political influence” and due to his “frustration with the status quo,” the affidavit says.

When asked if he was planning a “mass casualty” event and then taking his own life, he responded, “Um, I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not,” according to the affidavit. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught or not. If caught, that was a way out.”

Pemberton then said, “I had firearms with me, the purpose was twofold. Like I said before, sell ‘em if I need ‘em, but otherwise they can be used for criminal intent if I wanted to, which was my intention, such as harming another individual.”

But, according to the affidavit, Pemberton said he had “ultimately decided against” taking “criminal action” against the organization, and said “I wasn’t ready. I gave up.”

It was Pemberton’s family that tipped off local police about his suspicious behavior, including providing information from his person computer left behind at home. The family reported that he departed their Gainesville home in the middle of the night on Dec. 22 and that his AR-15 rifle and other firearms were no longer in the house. His laptop computer was also missing.

Pemberton also left behind a “goodbye” note in which made “anti-authority statements” and talked of wanting to “close the loop” and “stoke the flames.”

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Department assisted the FBI in the investigation, leading to his arrest on Monday.