Jordanian man attacks Florida power facility and private businesses over their support for Israel
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Jordanian man living in central Florida is accused of causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage at a solar power facility and vandalizing multiple private businesses over their perceived support for the state of Israel, prosecutors said.
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 43, of Orlando, was arrested last month, and a federal grand jury returned an indictment against him last week on four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility, according to court records. He faces up to 60 years in prison. A judge ordered Hnaihen to be detained pending trial during a Wednesday hearing.
“Targeting and attacking businesses for perceived beliefs is unacceptable,” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg said in a statement.
According to court records, Hnaihen began going to businesses at night while wearing a mask in June and smashing the front doors. Prosecutors said Hnaihen left behind “warning letters,” which were addressed to the United States government. The letters laid out a series of political demands, culminating in a threat to “destroy or explode everything here in whole America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel.”
Near the end of June, Hnaihen broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, investigators said. He spent several hours systematically destroying solar panel arrays, officials said. Two more copies of the warning letter were also left behind. Officials estimated the damage to be more than $700,000.
Following a multi-agency investigation, Hnaihen was arrested July 11 on local charges after another warning letter was discovered at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando, officials said. He was transferred to federal custody after his indictment.
Hnaihen’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press.