By Marcus Gilmer From Mashable

The son of a Boston police captain who was a first responder at the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing has been arrested in connection with an alleged ISIS plot that was similar to the marathon bombing. The arrest was part of a larger nation-wide effort by the FBI that the agency says prevented terror attacks in the United States.

On July 4, authorities arrested Alexander Ciccolo, who also goes by the name Ali Al Amriki, on charges of felony possession of four firearms which were, according to an affidavit filed by the FBI, a .223 Colt AR-15 rifle, a 556 Sig Arms SG550 rifle, a 9mm Glock 17 handgun, and a 10mm Glock 20 handgun.

Robert Ciccolo, the suspect’s father, is a Boston Police captain who, according to WHDH, is in charge of the city’s 911 call center and was a first responder following the Boston Marathon bombing. The father and son have reportedly been estranged for some time and reports indicate that the elder Ciccolo was the one who alerted the FBI to his son’s interest in ISIS, though the court document only refers to a “close acquaintance.”

In a statement, the family said: “While we were saddened and disappointed to learn of our son’s intentions, we are grateful that authorities were able to prevent any loss of life or harm to others. At this time, we would ask that the public and the media recognize our grief and respect our desire for privacy.”

The younger Ciccolo had been convicted of a DUI charge in February 2015; though he was ultimately put on probation, because he had been convicted of a crime punishable by at least a year in prison, he was prohibited from possessing firearms. The guns, though, were just the tip of the iceberg.

The FBI reveals in the affidavit that they had actually been monitoring Ciccolo for possible terrorist activities since the fall of 2014, when he had expressed a desire to fight for ISIS overseas. Besides tracking Ciccolo’s social media posts, they had him speak with a “cooperating witness” to whom Ciccolo claimed he had “plans to travel to another state to conduct terrorist attacks on civilians, members of the U.S. military and law enforcement personnel.”

According to the affidavit, Ciccolo made multiple references to other terror attacks, calling the recent attack at a Tunisian resort hotel a “huge accomplishment,” and often referring to the Boston Marathon bombing when describing the plans for his own plot, which he hoped to carry out at a nearby, though unnamed, university.

In early July, FBI officers say they observed Ciccolo purchasing pressure cookers at a local Walmart, which he allegedly hoped to use as explosive devices in the attack.

The affidavit also accuses Ciccolo of attacking a nurse who was attending to him following his arrest: “During his meeting with the nurse, the defendant grabbed a pen and forcefully stabbed the nurse in the head, leaving a bloody hole in the nurse’s skin and causing the pen to break in half.”

More documents on Ciccolo’s arrest are available at the link below.

IMAGE: The firearms Anthony Ciccolo was arrested for possessing. IMAGE: U.S. DEPT. OF JUSTICE

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