A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly attacking the Israeli embassy in NYC
An Egyptian man living in Virginia who was expected to be deported has been charged with planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in New York City.
Abdullah Azz al-Din Taha Muhammad Hassan is alleged to have given instructions and bomb-making plans on how to attack the Manhattan embassy to an undercover FBI source, according to court documents. He was arrested Tuesday, the FBI told Fox News Digital.
Hassan is charged with disseminating information about explosives, explosives and weapons of mass destruction in furtherance of state crimes.
ABOVE US, SDF COMMANDER IN SYRIA WARNS OF ISIS RETURN IF TURKISH AIRSTRIKES DO NOT STOP
On the other side of the pro-Palestinian protest zone, a group of pro-Israel protesters gathered, holding Israeli flags in front of the Consulate General of Israel in New York City. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The New York FBI office wants to assure our Jewish community here in New York that our office – and our law enforcement partners – remain vigilant in our efforts to identify, investigate and disrupt potential threats to our community, using every tool at our disposal. To do so, we urge all members community to report suspicious activity to law enforcement and call 911 in situations of imminent violence or threats to life,” the FBI said in a statement.
“We will continue to work to ensure that our communities remain safe places for all people, and we thank the public for their continued trust and cooperation.”
US GROUP WANTS AMERICANS CAPTURED IN SYRIA AFTER ASSAD REGIME FALLS
Hassan caught the attention of the FBI after the Fairfax County Police Department notified authorities that a tipster alerted the police about his social media posts on X. The tipster said the account was involved in “terrorist behavior.”
On several occasions, Hassan praised the Islamic State terrorist group and other prominent figures, state prosecutors said. In August, he began texting with an undercover FBI source he believed he had hired to carry out a “massive attack,” authorities said.
Protesters attend an “urgent Gaza rally” outside the Israeli Consulate in New York City, Oct. 9, 2023. (Jennifer Mitchell of Fox News Digital)
In the past few weeks, Hassan directed someone who knew how to make a bomb, find weapons and how to make a “martyrdom video,” authorities said. In November, he allegedly named the Consulate General of Israel as the target of the attack, saying it would be easy to attack with small arms and be “martyred” by the police.
He believed New York would be a “gold mine” when it came under attack, prosecutors said. While the two were planning the attack, Hassan also allegedly told him to book flights to countries without extradition agreements with the United States. During the attack, Hassan said the source could kill people in the consulate with an assault rifle or detonate an explosive vest while standing in the target group, court documents said.
ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR REITERATES NATION 'NOT INVOLVED' IN SYRIA REGIME TRANSFORMATION
Hassan also requested that the source broadcast the attack live so he could watch it in real time, authorities said.
In a statement, Jonathan Harounoff, spokesman for Israel's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said the Jewish state “will not panic because of fear.”
“We will not be silent if there is hatred and violence,” he said. “We will not stop pursuing justice and peace. We will continue in our struggle to return all 100 of our hostages who are still being held in the Hamas terrorist tunnel in Gaza.”
Sara Netanyahu and Ofir Akunis, Israel's ambassador-general, attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the 79th session of the General Assembly at the UN Headquarters. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, expressed gratitude to the authorities for preventing the alleged attack.
“This attempted attack by terrorist organizations is an attack on the sovereign territory of the State of Israel,” he wrote in X. “It is a proof that fear knows no borders and that we must fight it everywhere and at all times. It puts the western countries and its principles must be fought together by all the western countries and we will win.”
Source link
