A 14-year-old boy was arrested Saturday in Wimauma, Florida for terrorism threats and possession of child pornography, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office
reportedly received a tip on Saturday that the
boy, Jose Pagan Jr., “had access to weapons” and was planning a mass shooting at a church in his hometown. The boy was associated with a “neo-Nazi Satanic group,” Sheriff Chad Chronister stated during a Wednesday
press conference.
“This 14-year-old is linked to a neo-Nazi
Satanic group called Tempel of Love where they advocate and encourage violence to achieve spiritual enlightenment,” the sheriff stated. The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) previously exposed an online group of the same name engaged in grooming and pedophilia.
(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: How Satanist Pedophile Groups Strategize To Groom Kids, Avoid Detection On Popular Chat Site)
SANFORD, FL – MARCH 21: Members of the media and residents of the city of Sanford attend to a town hall meeting with civil rights leaders to discuss the death of a 17-year-old unarmed black teen who was shot by a neighborhood watch captain on March 21, 2012 at the Allen Chaptel AME church in Sanford, Florida. The Justice Department and the FBI opened an investigation into the death of the black teenager, and the local state attorney announced that he had asked a grand jury to investigate. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
Days before the arrest, Chronsiter stated that the sheriff’s department’s Internet Predator Unit was investigating a “suspected child exploitation allegation” at the boy’s address.
“Armed with the search warrants, detectives served the search warrant and realized that the computer is linked to this 14-year-old,” the sheriff said. “Doing a cursory search, they discovered 14 extremely graphic, disturbing images where individuals were inflicting violence towards infants and toddlers.”
Chronister stated that a firearm was “located and recovered” in the nightstand of the suspect’s father, which the sheriff said the boy “easily could [have] had access to.”
The sheriff said the department will “have a presence” at two churches located near Pagan Jr.’s house to deter anyone who “may inflict violence.”
The DCNF previously investigated a Discord server named “Tempel of Love,” with a logo similar to a militant
neo-Nazi group called “Tempel of Blood” which glorifies child exploitation and terrorism.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office referred the DCNF to the press release and press conference when asked to provide a comment.
