Man charged in mass-shooting plot in Milwaukee seeks release

By: Dan Shaw, [email protected]//July 3, 2017//

By: Dan Shaw, [email protected]//July 3, 2017//

Listen to this article

Samy Mohamed Hamzeh (Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Lawyers for a man charged in a mass-shooting plot in downtown Milwaukee say their client refused to participate when urged by FBI informants they say harassed him for months.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that lawyers for 25-year-old Samy Mohamed Hamzeh claim entrapment in the case and have asked Hamzeh be released from jail on bail pending his February trial.

Hamzeh was arrested in 2016 on two counts of possessing a machine gun and one count of possessing a silencer, which he bought from undercover FBI agents. Federal prosecutors allege he was planning to kill at least 30 people at a Masonic center to “defend Islam.”

Federal public defenders say their client repeatedly protested the informants’ proposals and that he only wanted a legal handgun to protect himself.

Related Content

Wisconsin Law and Liberty - Wisconsin State Bar lawsuit

Some State Bar diversity participants walk away from program

State Bar did not respond to multiple requests asking how many organizations dropped out of the DEI program.

April 24, 2024

Wisconsin school choice program

Wisconsin court issues arrest warrant ‘in error’ for Minocqua Brewing owner

Kirk Bangstad recently made headlines as he was suing the town of Minocqua in another matter.

April 24, 2024

Justice Department

Iranian nationals charged cyber campaign targeting U.S. Companies

Reward: $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of the group and the defendants.

April 24, 2024

Facing mostly white juries, are Milwaukee County defendants of color truly judged by their peers?

For years in Wisconsin, selecting a jury has meant assembling a panel derived from state drivers’ license da[...]

April 24, 2024

Milwaukee Mayor speaks in D.C. Tuesday at White House water summit

Biden administration delivers more than $1 Billion for Tribal Clean Water Projects.

April 24, 2024

Trump Gun

Chicago man sentenced to prison after being caught with ‘Trump Gun’

A Federal judge in Chicago sentenced Sheldon Bains to three years in prison.

April 23, 2024

Legal News

See All Legal News

Case Digests

WLJ People

Sea all WLJ People