Fil-Am Army veteran sentenced to 25 years in prison for bomb plot

A Filipino-American Army veteran who plotted to bomb a political rally in Long Beach, California in 2019 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, the US Department of Justice said.

On August 11, Mark Steven Domingo, 28, was found guilty of one count of providing material support to terrorists and one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The sentence was handed down on November 1.

Domingo was arrested in April 2019 after he was discovered to be expressing support for violence, specifically a desire to seek violent retribution for attacks against Muslims, and a willingness to become a martyr.

After considering various attacks – including targeting Jewish people, churches and police officers – Domingo decided to bomb a white nationalist rally scheduled to take place in Long Beach in April 2019, according to the US DOJ.

“Domingo selected the Long Beach rally as his target and, in April 2019, drove his confederate and the undercover officer to Long Beach to scout the location he planned to attack. While there, Domingo discussed finding the most crowded areas to place the bombs so he could kill the most people,” the US DOJ said.

“On April 26, 2019, Domingo received what he thought were two live bombs, but were actually inert explosive devices delivered by an undercover law enforcement officer. He was arrested that same day with one of the bombs in his hands,” it added.

Prior to his arrest, Domingo had called for an event similar to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

"Following an attack on Muslims in New Zealand in March 2019, Domingo called for retribution in an online post," the US DOJ said. — VBL, GMA News