It hasn’t even been a year since Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb in Olso, Norway in order to kill eight individuals, and then brutally shot and murdered 69 others, and already five other men are following in his footsteps, as well as  in those of the infamous Oklahoma city bomber, Timothy McVeigh. All of these men also have something in common: they are all anarchists. The only difference: while Breivik and McVeigh’s bombs detonated according to plan, the five men from Cleveland, Ohio were unsuccessful.

The five men have since been identified as Douglas Wright, 26; Brandon Baxter, 20; Anthony Hayne, 35; Joshua Stafford, 23 and Connor Stevens, 20. As of Monday the men were arrested and taken into custody while they await trial.

The Associated Press reported that “federal authorities on Tuesday described the men as anarchists who are angry with corporate America and the government and unknowingly worked with an FBI informant for months as they crafted and carried out their plan.”

According to the information released thus far, the men received the explosives from an undercover employee. The ‘explosives’ were then placed at the bottom of the bridge ( approximately 15 miles from downtown) that oversees the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Once the men left the scene, they attempted to detonate the explosives by using a “text message detonation code.”

The men were easy to track down, and were arrested that evening. According to the FBI, they have been following these men for some time now. FBI agents have been creating fake terrorist plots in order to find these suspects. As for preventing terrorism, the government considers this one of the top strategies in catching terrorists.

“They talked about making a statement against corporate America and the government as some of the motivations for their actions,” U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said Tuesday.

Additionally, according to court documents, the police had been secretly recording them as their suspicions of the suspects grew. During one conversation, Brandon Baxter was found saying, “Taking out a bridge in the business district would cost the … corporate big wigs a lot of money.” The Associated Press explained that this was “because it would cause structural damage and prevent people from going to work.”

All five men have been charged with attempting to destroy property in interstate commerce and conspiracy. They made an appearance in the U.S. District Court last Tuesday, and were then taken to jail without the possibility of receiving bail. The men were facing penalties of up to 20 years in prison, but after their court hearing on Monday, another charge has been added: attempted use of a mass destruction weapon. If the men are convicted, they are facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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Sami Osmakac, 25, was charged with a terrorist plot to attack busy areas in Tampa with an assault rifle, a car bomb, and other explosives, according to federal authorities. Osmakac, who is a U.S. citizen, hailing from the former Yugoslavia, was arrested on Saturday by FBI agents and tried in federal court on Monday, January 9, at two in the afternoon. Authorities said that Osmakac will be prosecuted with an attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Osmakac allegedly purchased explosives and guns from an undercover agent, which led to his arrest. According to the federal complaint, he recorded himself on video talking about his motives and plans. He seemed to be interested in al Qaeda since federal officials cited a source that told them Osmakac wanted al Qaeda flags in September 2011.

Two months after this, Osmakac and their source “discussed and identified potential targets in Tampa” for terrorist attacks, stated the federal complaint. He allegedly inquired where he could get some firearms and explosives to carry out his attack, so the source contacted an undercover FBI employee. Osmakac had a meeting with the undercover agent on December 21 and allegedly said that he wanted to buy an AK-47 type of machine gun, Uzis, and other explosives. He put down a $500 payment on the items at a later meeting with the agent.

“According to the complaint, Osmakac also asked the undercover employee whether he/she could build bombs that could be placed in three different vehicles and detonated remotely, near where Osmakac would conduct a follow-up attack using the other weapons he requested,” the press release stated.

“The undercover employee said he/she could possibly provide explosives for one vehicle. Osmakac also allegedly said that he wanted an explosive belt constructed to kill people.”

Osmakac informed the undercover agent that he wanted to bomb the Operation Center of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a Tampa business, and night clubs. He also said he wanted to use a car bomb and an explosive belt to “get in somewhere where there’s a lot of people”, so he could take hostages.

The agent reminded Osmakac during the meeting that he did not have to follow through with his plans and could change his mind any time he wanted. “According to the complaint, Osmakac immediately shook his head in the negative and stated, ‘We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?’” the press release said.

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