Orlando shooting delays trial in Florida Keys bomb plot

MGN

MIAMI (AP) – The deadly shooting at an Orlando nightclub means a delay in the case of a man accused of plotting to detonate a bomb at a Florida Keys beach.

A Miami federal judge on Thursday delayed the trial of 24-year-old Harlem Suarez from July 11 until Jan. 23. Suarez’s lawyers said the killing June 12 of 49 people in the Pulse nightclub would result in an unfair trial if held so soon.

The FBI says Suarez drew inspiration from the Islamic State terrorist organization, as also claimed by Orlando gunman Omar Mateen.

The FBI says Suarez told an informant he wanted to detonate a backpack bomb on a Key West beach. He was arrested last year after accepting an inert device from an FBI employee posing as an Islamic State member.

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