Footage of the active shooter wearing a bullet vest in the parking lot of Edward Waters University before he sets out for mass shooting at the Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida.
Liora Rez, executive director of Stop Antisemitism, told Newsweek it had traced the stunts back to Minadeo through one of his posts on the social media platform Gab.
Ben Popp, an investigative researcher at ADL’s Center on Extremism, said the rise in incidents was linked to Minadeo’s move from California to Florida, and that it had tracked others associated with GDL travelling to Florida to join the demonstrations.
Local police later told news station WPTV that a projector and generator had been used in the incident and that the men were confronted but were not cooperative.
“This is a welcoming—this is a diverse city,” Mike Jachles, a police spokesperson, told WPTV. “But we have no place for that. We don’t welcome them, those types of messages.”
“I don’t think us showing up had anything to do with their timeline,” Jachles told another local news station, WPEC. “They were on public property; whether you endorse the message or not, we have to enforce the law. So we’re looking at what, if any, laws were broken.”
On January 16, Stop Antisemitism posted footage watermarked with the logo of NSF, of another building projection, this time in Jacksonville. On the top of the Wells Fargo building, the words “Jews are wrecking the U.S.A.” scroll across.
The suspected shooter’s parents called Clay County Sheriff’s Office after they told deputies they had found a manifesto, reported WJXT.
Authorities say that two weapons were used in the shooting, including an assault rifle with the swastikas on it. The incidents, which appear to have begun on Saturday, have been linked to the far-right groups National Socialism Florida (NSF) and Goyim Defense League (GDL) by antisemitism watchdogs. One group warned of plans to “broaden their efforts to terrorize Floridian residents.”
On January 15, at around 9 p.m. ET, a projection appeared on the AT&T building on Gardenia Street in West Palm Beach, according to local reports. Video footage from the scene shows the words “Jews did 9-11 the FBI helped” scrolling across the building’s face.
