Today in the Annals of Floriduh Man: The FBI has arrested a major online ISIS/jihad promotion presence/player. He’s a 20 year old Jewish American man from Florida… Joshua Ryne Goldberg, aka Australi Witness, was impersonating an ISIS inspired Lebanese refugee, who did NOT actually exist, living in Perth, Australia. Mr. Goldberg was arrested for providing planning to a Federal informant on how to make a pressure cooker bomb**.
The intended target seems to have been the Kansas City 9-11 Memorial and the intention was for the attack to take place yesterday. Mr. Goldberg is claiming that he wanted the actual would be bomber to blow himself up while preparing the bomb. And if that failed he intended to tip off the cops before the actual attack – so positive character points for potential civic engagement and responsibility. Mr. Goldberg has also claimed, through his online persona, that he was responsible for motivating the two Arizona men who attacked The Draw the Prophet Muhammed event in Garland, TX back in May. While Mr. Goldberg gets the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, I expect that the Feds will throw the book at him. Texas might also decide to go after him for the Garland, TX attack too. Some times the truth really is stranger than fiction.
* For the non Yiddish speakers at Balloon Juice a shonda for the goyim (literally a tragedy or embarrassment in front of the gentiles) is the label traditionally placed on someone who is Jewish who does something really, really, really stupidly embarrassing in public.
** This provides a whole new use for the “crock pot craziness” category…
Floriduh Man… Shonda for the Goyim Edition*Post + Comments (114)