The FBI filed court documents this week accusing Gainesville, Florida, resident Forrest Kendall Pemberton of plotting to attack the South Florida offices of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) with multiple firearms.
Pemberton, 26, was reported missing by his father on December 23. His father, unnamed in police reports, told the Gainesville police department he received a text message from Pemberton advising him to look in the backpack he left in his bedroom.
The backpack proved to contain a “concerning” note that “espoused anti-authority sentiments” and looked disturbingly like a farewell message. Pemberton’s father added that his son had previously “espoused antisemitic views.”
Pemberton’s father said the search history in his son’s browser included various government offices and prominent entities, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), Blackrock, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and AIPAC. Pemberton’s searches also included information on various assassination methods, including the use of poisons and vehicles as weapons.
Most disturbingly under the circumstances, Pemberton owned several firearms, including two rifles and a pistol, which were missing from his room. His father thought he might have been planning an assault similar to the December 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Police investigators tracked Pemberton down to a motel in Plantation, Florida, where his browser history indicated he had researched the location of an AIPAC office. AIPAC relocated its office some time ago, but Google Maps still pointed to the old address.
The police learned that Pemberton stayed at the motel in Plantation for only one day, checking out on December 24 and resurfacing in Tallahassee, where he employed ride-sharing service Uber to get from an auto shop to a Red Roof Inn.
The FBI kept the hotel under surveillance and intercepted Pemberton when he was getting into another rideshare vehicle. He was carrying all three of his firearms when he was intercepted on December 25, which in 2024 was both Christmas Day and the first day of Hanukkah.
Pemberton told investigators he was using rideshares because his original plan had involved walking from Gainesville to nearby Ocala, where he purchased a very cheap Ford F-150 truck he apparently intended to use in a criminal assault. The F-150 apparently gave him some trouble on the road to Tallahassee.
In its affidavit to prosecutors, the FBI said Pemberton targeted AIPAC because of its “political influence” and his “frustration with the status quo.” Asked if he was planning a suicide attack, he said he had not settled on the “suicide” part yet.
“Um, I really don’t know if I was gonna end it with my life or not. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It entirely depended if I ended up getting caught or not. If caught, that was a way out,” he said.
“It would have been a one-way ticket. In Plantation, I decided I wasn’t ready. I gave up,” he said.
The FBI affidavit was vague about exactly what Pemberton was doing in Tallahassee, which is on the opposite side of the huge Florida peninsula from Plantation, requiring at least seven hours of driving time. The most efficient route between the two cities would have taken Pemberton through his hometown of Gainesville. Tallahassee is the state capital, so it is possible Pemberton was contemplating another target after canceling his alleged plan to attack AIPAC in Plantation.
AIPAC was not mentioned by name in the affidavit, being described only as an organization dedicated to “pro-Israel policies that strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship,” but AIPAC confirmed it was the intended target in a statement on Tuesday.
“We will not be deterred by extremists in pursuing our mission to strengthen the relationship with America’s valued ally, Israel. We are deeply appreciative of the FBI’s work to stop this individual,” AIPAC said.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) charged Pemberton with stalking on Monday, and contended he was scouting AIPAC offices with the intent of “killing, injuring, harassing, and intimidating” members of the organization.
Pemberton’s case is scheduled for a hearing on Monday at the U.S. Courthouse in Gainesville.