Florida mosque ‘bomber’ killed
Man wanted for blast shot dead by a security agent after allegedly resisting arrest in Oklahoma.
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| The May 10, 2010, blast did not hurt any of the 60 people inside the centre [Photo: Muslim Public Affairs Council] |
A man wanted in connection with the bombing of a Florida mosque has been shot dead by a security agent after resisting arrest, FBI officials say.
Sandlin Smith, 46, was killed after brandishing a firearm on Wednesday as FBI agents and and state law-enforcement officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on him in northwest Oklahoma.
Jeff Westcott, an FBI special agent in Jacksonville, Florida – where the mosque bombing occurred – said that Smith was staying in a tent in Glass Mountain State Park in northwest Oklahoma.
He also said that Smith was facing several federal charges, including damage to religious property and possession of a destructive device, in connection with the bombing of the Islamic Centre of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville on May 10, 2010.
No one was injured or killed in the crude pipe-bomb explosion, although at least 60 people performing evening prayers in the centre at the time.
The Islamic centre issued a statement commending law enforcement officers’ diligence in finding the person responsible for the blast.
“The membership and constituents of the Islamic Centre of Northeast Florida join all citizens of goodwill in Jacksonville to express their relief that any threat posed by the person suspected in the bombing of the Islamic Centre has ceased as well as convey their regret that any lives were lost,” the statement said.
Clayton Simmonds, an FBI agent in Oklahoma, said the shooting of Smith was still being investigated.