Federal authorities accused a Jordanian migrant of a “hate-fueled” spate of attacks on Florida businesses he believed were supporting Israel, including a major attack on a solar energy facility.

Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen rampaged at night, smashing glass doors of businesses in the Orlando area and leaving behind “warning letters” where he threatened to “destroy or explode everything here” in the U.S., prosecutors said.

Mr. Hnaihen said his particular targets were “companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel.”

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Prosecutors said he tried to buy a gun and ammunition, despite being prohibited as a temporary visa holder. He lied about his status on the form but his status was discovered and the sale was blocked.

“We allege that the defendant threatened to carry out hate-fueled mass violence in our country, motivated in part by a desire to target businesses for their perceived support of Israel,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The court documents don’t reveal what kind of nonimmigrant visa Mr. Hnaihen, 43, held.

Prosecutors said Mr. Hnaihen started smashing doors on targeted businesses, then escalated to more widespread destruction. In June, he attacked a solar panel farm in what investigators described as a sophisticated operation. They said he cut electrical wires so close to the panel it was impossible to splice in a replacement, effectively disabling entire panels altogether.

“And as Hnaihen worked across row after row, he identified and selectively destroyed the lead panel in a daisy-chained series of panels, taking the entire chain offline,” prosecutors said in court documents. They said he also destroyed the computers that tilt the panels to follow the sun as it moves across the sky.

In asking a judge to order him detained pending trial, prosecutors said Mr. Hnaihen may have been targeting an industrial propane gas depot just before his arrest last month. Prosecutors said a warning letter left at the property matches the style of Mr. Hnaihen’s other warnings.

The court agreed with prosecutors and ordered Mr. Hnaihen detained.

He is being represented by a public defender. The Washington Times has sought comment on the case.

He faces four counts of threatening to use an explosive device and one count of destruction of an energy facility.

The case comes as dangers of international terrorism and the U.S. immigration system are getting renewed attention.

FBI Director Christopher Wray last month told Congress he’s increasingly worried about that nexus.

Earlier this month, federal authorities announced charges against a Pakistani man they accused of operating as an agent of Iran in plotting murder of U.S. government officials.

Asif Merchant arrived in the U.S. in April and recruited a New York man whom he asked to help him hire contract killers, prosecutors said. The man went to authorities, who used undercover agents to tease out the scheme.

Prosecutors said Mr. Merchant described his potential assassination targets as “the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world” and said he had prayed over his actions and felt he was on a mission from God.

Authorities didn’t reveal why they thought Mr. Merchant was acting in concert with Iran, but noted he had two families, with a wife and children each in Iran and Pakistan.