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.
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.
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