A Jordanian national has been sentenced to six years in a US federal prison after a series of destructive acts in Florida that included politically charged threats and significant property damage, the US Department of Justice announced Thursday, according to an AFP report.
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 44, launched a campaign of vandalism across the Orlando area starting in June of last year. According to court filings, the attacks caused in excess of $450,000 in damages. The Justice Department said Hnaihen targeted businesses he believed were aligned with or supportive of the State of Israel.
“Hnaihen wore a mask and acted under the cover of darkness, breaking glass storefronts and leaving behind what he called ‘Warning Letters,’” the DOJ said in an official statement.
Those letters, directed at the President of the United States, included a list of political demands. They concluded with a chilling declaration: “destroy or explode everything here in whole America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel.”
Among the most serious incidents detailed was an intrusion at a solar energy facility in Wedgefield, Florida. There, Hnaihen reportedly spent several hours damaging solar panel installations.
He was ultimately taken into custody on July 11, after investigators discovered another threatening letter at a propane distribution site in Orlando. The note again vowed to “destroy or explode everything.”
Federal authorities described Hnaihen’s actions as deliberate and ideologically motivated.