Trial to begin in Key West for man accused in IS bomb plot
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The trial is beginning for a man accused of conspiring to detonate a bomb at a Florida Keys beach in solidarity with the Islamic State militant group.
Opening statements were scheduled Monday morning in Key West federal court in the case of 25-year-old Harlem Suarez. Prosecutors say the trial is expected to last about two weeks.
The FBI says Suarez told an informant he wanted to detonate a backpack bomb on a Key West beach. He was arrested in 2015 after accepting an inert device from an FBI employee posing as an extremist.
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Prosecutors say Suarez drew inspiration from the Islamic State for his alleged plot.
Suarez faces a lengthy prison term if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and supporting terrorism.