Egyptian Student In US Nabbed For Plotting ‘Mass Casualty’ Attack On NYC Jews
Federal prosecutors are accusing an Egyptian national living in the United States of promoting violence against Jews and plotting a “mass casualty” attack against an Israeli consulate. The FBI arrested Abdullah Ezzeldin…
Federal prosecutors are accusing an Egyptian national living in the United States of promoting violence against Jews and plotting a “mass casualty” attack against an Israeli consulate.
The FBI arrested Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an 18-year-old George Mason University student living in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday for allegedly operating multiple online accounts that praised ISIS and Al-Qaeda, according to court documents. The foreign national was allegedly plotting an attack on Israel’s General Consulate in New York City, a city he described as “a goldmine of targets.”
“On Tuesday, Virginia resident Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan was arrested by members of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, in Falls Church, VA, on federal charges,” according to an FBI statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The FBI’s New York Office wants to reassure our Jewish community here in New York that our office — along with our law enforcement partners — remains vigilant in our efforts to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to our community, using every tool at our disposal to do so.”
“As always, we urge all community members to report suspicious activity to law enforcement and call 911 in cases of imminent violence or threats to life,” the statement continued. “We will continue working to ensure our communities remain safe places for all, and we thank the public for their continued trust and partnership.”
The FBI investigation into Hassan began after the Fairfax County Police Department received an anonymous tip in May that an X (formerly Twitter) account based in Virginia was engaging in “radical and terrorist-leaning behavior,” according to court documents. Hassan posted numerous extremist statements online, such as “martyrs have been guaranteed paradise,” “Islam is a religion of justice, not peace,” denials that Hamas was a terrorist organization and praise of Obama bin Laden.