By RACHEL LA CORTE, Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A podiatrist who allegedly wanted to destroy mosques and other Muslim centers had so many explosives in his home that he could have accidentally destroyed the 200-unit townhouse complex where he lives, police said.
Dr. Robert J. Goldstein planned to use guns and the explosives to destroy an Islamic education center and dozens of mosques, prosecutors said.
“If one of those bombs were to have gone off, that townhouse would have been destroyed,” ATF Special Agent Carlos Baixauli said. “If the others exploded, we would have lost most of that townhouse complex.”
Goldstein, 37, was arrested and charged Friday with possession of a non-registered destructive device and attempting to use an explosive to damage and destroy Islamic centers. Goldstein was being held Saturday without bond at Hillsborough County Jail.
Deputies found a typed list of approximately 50 Islamic places of worship in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area and elsewhere in the state during a search of Goldstein’s Seminole home, prosecutors said.
Police were first called to Goldstein’s home before dawn Friday after the man’s mother contacted them and asked that they make a safety check. Goldstein’s wife, Kristi, said her husband was threatening to kill her, according to an affidavit.
It took police 30 minutes to coax Goldstein out of the home, and he was placed in custody under the Baker Act, which allows involuntary commitment for psychiatric evaluation.
In Goldstein’s home, rigged with trip wires and surveillance cameras, police found explosive devices including hand grenades and a 5-gallon gasoline bomb with a timer and a wire attached, said Pinellas County Sheriff’s Detective Cal Dennie.
They also found a cache of weapons, including .50-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. Goldstein had licenses for the guns and no criminal record, Dennie said.
Police said they also found an 11-point plan for attacking an Islam education center that outlined details including what Goldstein would wear, how he could get rid of fingerprints and how he would engage in hand-to-hand combat if necessary.
“Set timers for approximately 15-20 minutes to allow for enough time to get out of area, but to confirm explosions has (sic) been successful,” the outline said, according to authorities. “The amount of explosives should be ample to take down the building(s).”
Residents of the complex were evacuated as a safety precaution during the search.
A message left at Goldstein’s medical office was not returned Friday. Goldstein’s home does not have a listed phone number.