A Milwaukee man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he sought machine guns in order to carry out a terror attack on a Masonic temple, federal prosecutors said.

Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, was charged with unlawfully possessing a machine gun and unlawfully receiving and possessing firearms not registered to him.

Hamzeh allegedly told two informants working with the FBI last week that the three should carry out an attack on a Masonic temple using machine guns equipped with silencers — to kill everyone inside and then escape "as if nothing happened," according to a criminal complaint.
Samy Mohamed Hamzeh, 23, was charged with unlawfully possessing a machine gun and unlawfully receiving and possessing firearms not registered to him. Waukesha County Sheriff

The FBI set up a fake buy Monday and arrested Hamzeh after he paid for two fully automatic guns and one silencer, the FBI said. It wasn't immediately clear if Hamzeh had an attorney.

"Samy Mohamed Hamzeh devised a detailed plan to commit a mass shooting intended to kill dozens of people He also said that he wanted this mass shooting to be 'known the world over' and to 'ignite' broader clashes," Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad said in a statement.

"It is difficult to calculate the injury and loss of life that was prevented by concerned citizens coming forward and by the tireless efforts of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force," Haanstad said.

Hamzeh had been under investigation since September, officials said. In October, a confidential source allegedly told investigators he planned to go to the West Bank and kill Israelis, but decided to conduct an attack in the U.S. instead. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-arrests-milwaukee-man-planning-temple-attack-n504761