TOLEDO, Ohio December 11 2018— The Tree of Life Congregation massacre in Pittsburgh inspired Damon Joseph to plot an attack against a Toledo-area synagogues, federal agents said.

In a strange confluence for northwest Ohio, federal prosecutors on Monday announced the arrests of Elizabeth Lecron, 23, of Toledo, and Damon Joseph, 21, of Holland, Ohio, both of whom are accused of parallel but unconnected plans to unleash massacres in the Toledo area.

Ms. Lecron wanted to commit mass murder at a Toledo bar, according to the FBI, and frequently posted material on social media that glorified the Columbine school killers and Charleston, S.C., church shooter Dylann Roof.

An affidavit in Mr. Joseph’s case states he told undercover agents he was a supporter of ISIS and that he discussed plans to attack area synagogues and kill a rabbi. He ultimately collected two assault-style rifles from agents before he was arrested

 “In a matter of months, Damon Joseph progressed from radicalized, virtual jihadist to attack planner,” FBI special agent Jeff Fortuanto said.

A criminal complaint against Ms Lecron outlines a pattern of bizarre online behavior in the lead up to her arrest:

She frequently posted photos and memes to social media of mass murders, including Roof — who is awaiting the death penalty for murdering nine people during a 2015 shooting that targeted black congregants at a Charleston church.

Ms. Lecron began a back-and-forth correspondence with the death-row inmate, and sent him books about Nazis and other material. She visited Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., and documented her trip on social media. She met an undercover informant on the internet, and subsequently told her about her plans to commit “upscale mass murder” at a Toledo bar. She also talked about blowing up a pipeline, damaging a livestock farm and setting the livestock free, and linking up with other “anarchists” to form a team.

Police arrested her after she bought black powder and screws that could be used to make a pipe bomb.

 “Through her words and actions, she demonstrated that she was committed to seeing death and destruction in order to advance hate,” said Justin Herdman, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “This case demonstrates terrorism comes in many guises and we will remain vigilant to protect all Americans.”

‘I admire what the guy did’

Beginning in May, Mr. Joseph’s posts on social media caught the attention of the FBI, according to court records. Out of several photos of knives and guns he had posted, one had been originally distributed by ISIS’s media wing. He had also posted a photo of a ring that displayed the words found on the ISIS flag.

In September, an undercover agent began trading messages with Mr. Joseph, during which Mr. Joseph expressed interest in becoming a recruiter for ISIS and sent the agent several videos in support of terrorism and encouraging others to join ISIS, the affidavit shows.

On Oct. 30, three days after the Pittsburgh massacre, Mr. Joseph told the agent that he fantasized about doing something similar in Toledo, the affidavit shows.

“I admire what the guy did with the shooting, actually,” Mr. Joseph said. “I can see myself carrying out this type of operation…”

He then sent details of his plan to carry out an attack on at least one Toledo synagogue to an undercover agent on Dec. 2. In the days that followed, he made notes of what types of weapons and ammunition he would need for the attack, when to commit it to kill as many people as possible, and how to escape or, if necessary, shoot it out with police.

Specifically, he said he wanted to kill a rabbi. He expected the undercover agent he was messaging to be his partner in carrying out the attack, court records state.

Mr. Joseph continued planning through November and into December. On Friday evening, he met an undercover agent and took possession of two AR-15-style rifles that he believed the agent purchased for the attack. He was then arrested.

He was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

During his arraignment Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court, Mr. Joseph waived a preliminary hearing and will be jailed while his case is pending. His case will be brought to a grand jury.

His attorney, Neil McElroy, declined comment.

Mr. Herdman said officials would not identify any of the places targeted by Mr. Joseph or Ms. Lecron.

Greater Toledo is home to four synagogues. Each has security measures in place, and representatives in the wake of the October Pittsburgh attack said those measures would likely be reviewed. Chuck Traugott, administrator at Congregation B’nai Israel, and Lynn Nusbaum, administrator at Temple Shomer Emunim, said representatives were in touch with local law enforcement on Monday.

“We continue beefing up our security,” he said. “There’s nothing new about that.”

Rabbi Yossi Shemtov of Chabad House of Greater Toledo and Rabbi Samuel Weinstein of Temple Shomer Emunim praised law enforcement.

“We are grateful to the FBI and to almighty God,” Rabbi Shemtov said.

In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo said it was told by FBI agents that there was no imminent danger.

“Only little more than two months ago the greatest attack upon Jews in this country took place in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life synagogue. Anti-Semitism and hate of all kinds has no place in our society,” the organization stated. “Keeping people safe is our highest priority. All threats to our community are taken very seriously and we continue to coordinate with law enforcement diligently to keep us safe. Events like this remind us that we must always be vigilant, but we will not be intimidated from living our lives as Jews.”

Representatives of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo and the Islamic Society of Northwest Ohio said on Monday that they were not familiar with Mr. Joseph.

“It is certainly very disheartening to hear of such an individual in Toledo,” said Dr. S. Zaheer Hasan, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Northwest Ohio. “We are very proud to boast of Toledo as a compassionate and respectful community. This kind of behavior or thought is totally foreign to Toledo. … Our relationship with the Jewish community is excellent and respectful. We condemn any action which threatens the well-being and safety and security of the Jewish community and their institutions.”

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said hatred of any kind toward any religion could not be tolerated, adding he is grateful to the law enforcement agencies that worked to prevent “a potential catastrophe” in the city.

“We cannot tolerate hate directed toward people of Jewish faith, or of any other religion, and last month’s mass killing at a Pittsburgh synagogue is a reminder of just how real this threat is,” he said. “As Hanukkah concludes this evening, all Toledoans should reflect on the holiday’s themes of liberation, identity, and most importantly, freedom from religious persecution.”

Mr. Joseph’s arrest Friday was not his first encounter with law enforcement.

In January 2017 he was charged with domestic violence and disrupting a public service, and later entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt — to domestic violence, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

Lucas County records indicate he choked and threatened a woman identified as his grandmother and took her cell phone away to prevent her from calling 9-1-1. An argument began after the grandmother took away his knives, according to the records. The records state he had put her in a headlock and threatened to kill her and her husband.

In July his probation was terminated early.

He was previously charged in Sylvania Municipal Court with domestic violence, also involving his grandmother, in May 2016, but the case was dismissed at the recommendation of the prosecutor.

Neighbors of a Springfield Township address previously linked to Mr. Joseph and his family in court records said they had no strong recollection of the family and they could not recall previous police intervention.

In June, Toledo police received a tip about Ms. Lecron’s online activity and possible desire to commit a violent attack, and police passed the information to the Northwest Ohio Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to a criminal complaint. The FBI monitored Ms. Lecon’s social media accounts, where she posted about wanting to visit Littleton, Colo., in honor of the Columbine killers.

The complaint against Ms. Lecron states a since-deleted Tumblr account — Tumblr is a blogging and social networking site — belonging to Ms. Lecron frequently posted photos and memes of Roof and other mass murderers. In July, authorities say she posted a photo of Roof saluting with the caption, “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT REAL HATRED IS,” and an image of a knife and gun next to Roof.

An undated photo depicted a screenshot of surveillance video from the Columbine shooting. The words “So glad I grew up doing this” appear over an image of the two Columbine shooters holding weapons, while “Not this” appear over an image of girls looking at their cell phones.

Investigators contend Ms. Lecron wrote to Roof in July to introduce herself. She asked Roof if he had any reading suggestions for her and signed the letter with a drawing of a flower and a message of “Best wishes.”

Roof responded to her and asked Ms. Lecron to send him books about civil uprisings and the Nazis. In October, Ms. Lecron sent Roof a book containing memoirs from a Waffen SS volunteer who fought for the Nazis during World War II.

Ms. Lecron wrote an accompanying note saying, “I’ve been thinking about you a lot and decided to send you books every two weeks. Stay strong, Storm. You have a lot of people that care for you beyond these walls.”

After Tumblr removed the account a “few months ago” for posting offensive content, investigators say she created another account named CharlestonChurchMiracle, seemingly a tribute to Roof, and continued to post about mass murderers. She shared photos of Vladislav Roslyakov, who killed 20 people with bombs and gunfire on a college campus in Crimea.

She also posted photos of human remains on a table she believed to have been a victim of Karl Denke, a serial killer and cannibal in the early 1900s.

Journal entries from Ms. Lecron and an individual referred to as Subject 1 — who accompanied Ms. Lecron on the Colorado trip — suggest the two had planned a mass killing. A May 23 entry reads, “Around 5 [a.m.], I called [Subject 1]. He told me he felt homicidal. He had followed a car, wanting to murder. Didn’t happen but it worried me. I just told him ‘soon.’ “

Investigators believe Ms. Lecron flew to Denver in August. She walked onto school property and was questioned by a patrol officer. She told the officer she came to see the memorial.

The officer watched Ms. Lecron take several photos and asked her to delete them. She posted several of the photos to her Tumblr account and stated her next trip would be to Charleston to visit “the church.”

At the direction of law enforcement, a confidential informant contacted Ms. Lecron in August on social media, the complaint shows. The two met, and Ms. Lecron told the informant that she and an associate planned to commit “upscale mass murder” at a Toledo bar. In subsequent meetings, she also talked about damaging a livestock farm and setting the livestock free.

In September, the informant introduced Ms. Lecron to people she thought were “like-minded people” but were actually undercover FBI agents, the complaint shows. She told the group that her roommate had started making a pipe bomb. Ms. Lecron talked about targeting the manufacturing plant where she was employed in Northwest Ohio because she believed the plant was polluting a river.

In December, the informant told Ms. Lecron that the group wanted to attack a pipeline in the southeastern U.S., and needed people to purchase three or four pounds of gunpowder at various retail locations, so it wouldn’t look suspicious, the complaint states. Ms. Lecron agreed to buy the powder.

On Friday, she purchased two pounds of Hodgson Triple Seven Muzzleloading Propellant, according to the FBI, and then went to a different retailer in Perrysburg and bought 665 screws of various sizes. She was taken into custody Monday morning.

Ms. Lecron appeared in federal court Monday afternoon. She was appointed a federal defender and waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Her case will be considered by a federal grand jury. She will be detained at the Lucas County jail.

A student with Ms. Lecron’s name graduated from Maumee High School in 2013, according to Nancy Sayre, district spokeswoman for Maumee City Schools.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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