Washington – The arrest of an Army veteran in a plot to bomb a white supremacist rally in Southern California is the result of a confidential informant’s work.
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Court documents show that Mark Domingo was nabbed after the informant steered him away from impulsive gun attacks, offered opportunities to drop the plot and eventually led him to a trap.
The identity of the informant is not known, but the FBI says the person had been paid over $300,000 since 2013 for other investigations.
Using informants to identify would-be terrorists and thwart their plans has been hailed by law enforcement for preventing mass killings. But defense lawyers and civil liberties groups decry them for enticing vulnerable people down a path toward crime.
Domingo’s lawyer declined to comment.