A 69-year-old Jacksonville man is facing a weapons charge after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies into a plan to carry out a mass shooting at an area Islamic center, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Monday.
Bernandino Gawala Bolatete is charged with knowingly receiving and possessing a silencer not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Williams said detectives learned of the threat in late October and started to build a case against Bolatete.
A criminal complaint was filed Friday outlining the investigation into Bolatete. According to the complaint, an undercover detective with the Sheriff’s Office was asked if he could help obtain a firearm silencer Nov. 27.