Doctor Accused of Anti-Islam Bombing Plot ‘Knew His Stuff’

A doctor suspected of an elaborate plot to blow up dozens of mosques and an Islamic education center had enough expertise and firepower to carry it out, police said Saturday.

Robert J. Goldstein, a foot specialist, possessed an arsenal powerful enough to level the 200-unit townhouse complex where he lives and a detailed “mission template” full of instructions, officials said.

“He was just a smart guy,” said sheriff’s Det. Cal Dennie. “He knew his stuff. It was like a James Bond thing.”

Officials were still investigating Saturday, said Special Agent Carlos Baixauli of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He wouldn’t give details. Representatives of the U.S. attorney’s office in Tampa didn’t return calls.

Goldstein, 37, was arrested Friday and charged with possession of a nonregistered destructive device and attempting to use an explosive to damage and destroy Islamic centers. He was being held Saturday without bail.

Police said that when they searched his home, they found a cache of up to 40 weapons, including .50-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. They also uncovered more than 30 explosive devices, including hand grenades and a 5-gallon gasoline bomb with a timer attached. “If one of those bombs were to have gone off, that townhouse would have been destroyed,” Baixauli said. “If the others exploded, we would have lost most of that townhouse complex.”

Deputies also found a typed list of approximately 50 Islamic places of worship in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area and elsewhere in the state, prosecutors said.

Police went to Goldstein’s home early Friday after his mother asked that they make a safety check. Goldstein’s wife, Kristi, said her husband was threatening to kill her, according to an affidavit.

Dennie said Goldstein’s wife cooperated with investigators, but he did not give details.

It took police 30 minutes to coax Robert Goldstein out of the home, which was rigged with trip wires and surveillance cameras. He was placed in custody under a state law that allows involuntary commitment for psychiatric evaluation.

At a hearing before a federal magistrate Friday, Goldstein sobbed loudly and responded to questions in low mumbles. His attorneys said he needed medications that he had been taking.

“We do have some preliminary concerns about his competency,” said attorney Myles Malman of Hollywood, Fla.

The 11-point mission template for attacking the Islamic education center covered everything from what to wear to getting rid of fingerprints and dealing with hand-to-hand combat if needed, authorities said.

“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,” it reads. “The amount of explosives should be ample to take down the building (s).”

The director of an Islamic society whose mosque was found on Goldstein’s list said worshipers will increase their vigilance.

“We have to open our eyes,” said Mohammad Sultan, head of the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area.

Goldstein’s fellow podiatrists were stunned by the arrest. One said Goldstein did not mingle with fellow doctors.