FBI agents kill Jacksonville mosque bombing suspect in Oklahoma

A North Florida man suspected of pipe-bombing a Jacksonville mosque almost a year ago was shot and killed by FBI agents in Oklahoma last night.

The Islamic Center of Northeast Florida was pipe-bombed just before evening prayer services on May 10, 2010. The bomb caused no injuries and only $500 worth of damage to the mosque, but was thought by many to be a hate crime possibly linked to the appointment of a Muslim man to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission.

Though video surveillance captured the suspect on tape, his face wasn’t clearly visible and police never named a suspect. But nearly a year later, the FBI announced that a suspect had been killed following a “confrontation” with FBI agents. Sandlin Matthew Smith, a 46-year old bus driver from Julington Creek, Fla., is said to have been responsible for last year’s bombing.

According to the FBI, the “critical lead” in linking Smith to the pipe bomb was the discovery of explosive materials in his residence found after executing a search warrant.

According to Jacksonville’s First Coast News, Smith had been bragging to friends that he was responsible for the bombing.

After speaking to more than a dozen of Smith’s acquaintances, the FBI tracked him to Oklahoma. Smith was shot and killed following a “confrontation” with FBI agents. He was armed.