Florida police arrest man accused of threatening to commit mass shooting at church

State officials arrested a 19-year-old man suspected of threatening to commit a mass shooting at a church, according to a Tuesday statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Giovanni Pimienta allegedly talked with users online about obtaining weapons and carrying out a mass shooting, while also glorifying other mass shootings.

Investigators said they discovered a manifesto posted to social media after the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force flagged Pimienta as a possible threat to Florida police. Officials also discovered an artificial intelligence-produced video supporting his alleged plan to commit a mass shooting, Florida police reported. Investigators also said they recovered a handgun and various electronics while searching Pimienta’s home late last week. The on-scene investigation showed Pimienta had a grievance against a local church and planned to take hostages during a mass shooting using the handgun, Florida police reported.

What church did he plan to attack? Police did not give any further details about the suspect's alleged plan or more details on the supposed grievance with the local church. In a Tuesday motion, prosecutors asked the Sarasota Circuit Court to seal the case’s affidavit to prevent details related to the ongoing investigation from becoming public.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Florida chapter released a Tuesday statement reporting that Pimienta also planned to target a mosque. Threats to attack a house of worship merit serious investigation, and the organization welcomed these charges, according to the chapter’s communications director, Wilfredo Ruiz.

WORLD reached out to Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement and Sarasota Circuit Court officials to clarify the details. This story will be updated with any response received. Court records showed Pimienta scheduled to appear in court on Friday for a final pretrial detention hearing.