A man suspected of planning to bomb the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center, pictured, has been arrested. Photo: Facebook.

JNS.org – A man suspected of planning to bomb a South Florida synagogue has been arrested, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Monday. Sources in the bureau reported that a sting operation was orchestrated to thwart a terrorist attack at the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center on Friday.

WSVN, a Florida news outlet, quoted law enforcement sources as saying that FBI agents posing as terrorists were able to prevent the attack and apprehend the suspect, who had converted to Islam, they said. According to the report, the suspect “wanted to take some kind of explosive device and chuck it over the wall. Friday was the next-to-last day of Passover, and the center was crowded with people observing the holiday.”

The FBI stressed that the congregants were not in any danger during the sting operation or the arrest because the suspect was apprehended before having a chance to harm anyone. Congregants and neighborhood residents, however, were still agitated by the news of the potential attack. Resident Kim Tepper was quoted as saying, “It’s a very scary world, and you know what? I don’t think that anybody is safe anywhere. We always thought, living in this area, that we could be targeted.”