An 18-year-old Egyptian national, a freshman at George Mason University, was arrested in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday for allegedly planning a terrorist attack against Israel’s general consulate in New York.
Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan faces 20 years in federal prison if convicted of trying to teach someone how to manufacture an explosive with intent to murder internationally protected persons.
Prosecutors said that more charges may be forthcoming as the criminal investigation proceeds.
He currently is in deportation proceedings, something that will likely be put on hold until after he serves his prison sentence if he is convicted.
The Islamic extremist operated multiple social media channels that promoted pro-ISIS and Al Qaeda propaganda that promoted violence against Jews. He praised Osama bin Laden as his “idol,” and he openly said that he was “praying for an ISIS” terrorist attack to happen at sporting venues.
The FBI interviewed him in 2022 for allegedly spreading ISIS terrorist propaganda online and learned that he knew how to cover his digital tracks.
Hassan allegedly recruited an undercover informant to join ISIS and commit a terrorist attack on U.S. soil through various means, including a mass shooting using a rifle, a suicide vest, or a backpack bomb.
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He allegedly transmitted an ISIS video on how to manufacture the explosives that would be used in the bomb.
“In it, a masked male in military-style clothing explains the process to make acetone peroxide, an explosive,” court documents said. “Throughout the video, an ISIS flag logo appears in the upper corner. The video is approximately fifteen minutes long and includes English subtitles.”
“The video shows how to make both a detonator and a main explosive,” court documents added. “The speaker then shows how to surround the explosive with shrapnel, specifically, ball bearings. After assembly, the speaker says, ‘we now have a ready bomb.'”
The target was Israel’s general consulate in New York City where he said there was “a goldmine of targets” whom he referred to as “Yahud,” an Arabic word for Jews.
