Attorney: man charged in Jewish center plot mentally ill

Author: The Associated Press
Published: Updated:

MIAMI (AP) – A defense attorney says a man charged with plotting to bomb a synagogue and Jewish school in South Florida suffers from long-term mental illness and is no terrorist.

Lawyer Joaquin Padilla made the comments Tuesday at a bail hearing for 40-year-old James Medina of Hollywood. A judge denied bail, calling Medina a flight risk and danger to the community.

Medina faces life in prison if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The FBI says Medina plotted with an undercover informant to bomb the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center during recent Passover observances.

Medina was arrested after the informant provided him with a fake bomb.

FBI recordings show Medina allegedly supported the Islamic State group and claimed an obligation to attack Jews in the U.S.

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