Story highlights Suspect had attended Milwaukee Area Technical College

Samy Mohamed Hamzeh was arrested on weapons charges

Authorities accuse the 23-year-old of plotting to attack a Masonic temple

(CNN) A 23-year-old Milwaukee man charged with illegally possessing machine guns had planned a massacre at a Masonic temple in the city, federal officials said Tuesday.

Samy Mohamed Hamzeh was arrested Monday after buying two automatic weapons and a silencer from undercover agents, the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin said in a statement.

The investigation thwarted an attack "that could have resulted in significant injury and/or loss of life," FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Shields said in a statement announcing the arrest.

It was not immediately clear whether Hamzeh has retained legal representation.

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