The FBI has apprehended a suspect in connection with a planned terrorist attack aimed at the Israeli consulate in New York City, the consulate announced on Thursday.
The individual, identified as 18-year-old Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an Egyptian citizen residing in Falls Church, Virginia, allegedly directed an FBI informant to carry out the plot, according to a criminal complaint filed earlier in the week. The Washington Post later reported that Hassan is a freshman at George Mason University.
According to the FBI, Hassan managed several social media accounts that expressed support for ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Hamas while promoting violence against Jewish individuals. These details were included in the federal court complaint filed in Virginia.
Law enforcement officials tracked Hassan down after a tip was received regarding one of his social media accounts on X. An undercover FBI operative then initiated contact with him through various social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps.
The complaint alleges that Hassan guided the informant on how to join ISIS, shared extremist propaganda, and circulated a video encouraging violence against Jews. He also reportedly provided instructions on creating a “martyrdom video.”
Hassan is accused of sending the informant bomb-making instructions, advising the use of aluminum ball bearings as shrapnel, which he claimed “will do the trick.” He allegedly directed the informant, who claimed to be in New York, to attack a Jewish-related building, eventually identifying the Israeli consulate as the target.
He provided detailed instructions on surveilling the consulate, planning an escape to ISIS-controlled territory after the attack, and alternatively suggested using an assault rifle to “lay havoc on them.” Hassan also encouraged livestreaming the attack so the footage could be delivered to ISIS.
These interactions reportedly occurred in November and December, according to the complaint.
Hassan, who was taken into custody on December 17, faces charges related to distributing information about creating explosives and weapons of mass destruction.
Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul-general in New York, expressed gratitude to U.S. authorities for thwarting the plot.
“This attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety,” Akunis stated in a Thursday message to The Times of Israel. “It’s proof that terror knows no boundaries and that we must fight it everywhere and every time.”
The U.S. Justice Department has not issued a statement regarding the arrest.
This incident is not isolated, as other recent plots targeting Jews in New York have been foiled. In September, a suspect was arrested in Canada while attempting to cross into the U.S. to attack a Jewish center in Brooklyn on behalf of ISIS. Similarly, in July, a neo-Nazi was indicted for planning mass casualty attacks against Jews in New York City, which included distributing poisoned candy to Jewish children.
{Matzav.com}
