A 25-year-old Florida man intended to use explosives and weapons "to create mayhem'" in Tampa -- a plot that authorities say was foiled thanks to the local Muslim community and law enforcement -- a U.S. attorney said Monday. "When a person's got an AK-47 which he believes is operable, when he has explosives which he believes are real, and when he has an explosive pack and a car bomb which ... he is going to utilize against Americans, that makes it a crime," Robert O'Neill, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, told reporters. "Was it real? It was very real."
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A U.S. attorney says the attack was "imminent" and the threat was "very real"
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Authorities thank the Muslim community for helping in the investigation
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Sami Osmakac's plot included a car bombing, suicide blast, federal prosecutors say
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The 25-year-old man is "self-radicalized," not tied to any terror group, a source says
@placeholder was looking for places where there would be large crowds, the official said.