Suspect in planned Cleveland July 4 bombing appears in court

By Kim Palmer and Makini Brice CLEVELAND/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Ohio man arrested on suspicion of planning to detonate a bomb at Cleveland's Fourth of July celebrations and then stand by and watch "it go off" was granted a public defender on Monday during his initial court appearance. FBI agents on Sunday arrested Demetrius Pitts, 48, after he met with an undercover agent and said he planned to plant a bomb at an event celebrating the U.S. Independence Day holiday in the Ohio city. Pitts, a U.S. citizen and Philadelphia native who had expressed allegiance to the al Qaeda militant group, intended to target other locations in Cleveland and Philadelphia, the agency said.

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