The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested an 18-year-old Egyptian national on Tuesday for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on Israel’s consulate in New York City.
According to the criminal complaint, Virginia resident Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan is accused of convincing an informant to execute the action after supplying the potential accomplice with instructions on creating explosive devices and advice on making a “martyrdom video.”
Hassan, a student at George Mason University, reportedly attracted the attention of federal authorities after the Fairfax County Police Department uncovered several of his social media posts promoting propaganda from al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the Islamic State.
The Washington Post reported that the FBI interviewed the suspect in 2022 about his online activities, but no charges were brought forward in connection with the incident.
Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, released a statement on X expressing gratitude to investigators for their work and characterized the situation as “an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety.”
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