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Florida Police Say Mass Shooting At Islamic Center In Jacksonville Thwarted

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JACKSONVILLE (CBSMiami/AP) — What could've been an extremely dangerous situation was defused by local authorities.

Police say they stopped a man from carrying out a planned mass shooting at a Florida Islamic center.

Jacksonville Islamic Center
A 69-year-old Florida man was planning a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. (Source: CBS4)

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced Monday that police arrested 69-year-old Bernardino Gawala Bolatete after he tried to buy a gun silencer from an undercover officer.

Police began investigating Bolatete after receiving a tip from a confidential source that Bolatete was planning a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida.

An undercover officer contacted him and arranged the sale of the silencer. During taped conversations, Bolatete repeated his plans for the shooting.

He was arrested Friday after the silencer was delivered.

Williams said Bolatete already had the weaponry necessary to carry out the attack.

Bolatete is being held by the FBI and more charges could be filed. It was not known if he has an attorney.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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