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A former United States Marine is facing federal charges for allegedly planning a mass shooting targeting white people in New Jersey. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced that 23-year-old Joshua Cobb was taken into custody last week and charged with transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce.
Prosecutors said that Cobb made numerous social media posts dating back to late 2022 in which he talked about committing a mass shooting against white people.
"I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can. As of today I have officially began planning my attack," Cobb wrote In December 2022.
He made several other posts in the following months. Prosecutors said that he scoped out several locations to carry out his mass shooting, including a gym and an Aldi grocery store.Â
Cobb enlisted in the Marines in 2023 and began basic training in June 2023. After basic training, he was stationed in California until his recent discharge. Officials did not provide details about why he was discharged.