TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A federal jury has convicted a Pinellas County man of plotting a terrorist attack in the Tampa Bay area.
It took five hours for jurors to come to a guilty verdict Tuesday in the trial of Sami Osmakac. He faces life in prison at an Oct. 7 sentencing.
The 27-year-old was arrested in 2012. Authorities said he tried to buy weapons, including a car bomb and an AK-47, from a man he thought was an arms dealer.
During the three-week trial, jurors heard from psychiatrists who said Osmakac is mentally ill. Prosecutors also played videos recorded by a confidential informant.
In one of the recordings with the informant, Osmakac referred to blowing up bridges over Tampa Bay.
Defense lawyers said he was manipulated by the FBI and a paid informant to try to attack people on U.S. soil.
