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New details have emerged in the case of a man accused of planning to bomb Dolphin Mall.
According to the FBI, 53-year-old Vicente Solano was plotting to kill as many people as he could by setting off an explosive at the mall’s food court.
Solano appeared in federal court Monday, accused of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
7News spoke to Heidy Rivas, who lives at the Sweetwater apartment complex where Solano lived. “He was a decent guy. To me, he was a decent guy,” she said.
When asked what it felt like to hear about Solano’s alleged plans, Rives replied, “To me, it was a shock.”
A man walked out of Solano’s unit, located at 610 N.W. 109th Ave. When asked to comment on Solano, he waved a 7News reporter aside and replied, “No.”
According to the criminal complaint, Solano intended to target a busy Dolphin Mall on Black Friday. However, the plan was moved up to Friday, Oct. 20.
Investigators said Solano was inspired by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and had begun mapping out his terror plot in late September.
But, authorities said, the suspect was unaware he was working with an informant and undercover agents.
Solano was arrested by the FBI just steps from the mall, with what he thought was a live pressure cooker bomb hidden in luggage.
As for his motive, the FBI reports Solano expressed anger over foreign and domestic policies that made him feel excluded because of his temporary immigration status.