Heavily armed law enforcement officers swarmed the Philadelphia home of a teenager who was plotting to launch a national terrorist attack, authorities said.
The suspect, an unnamed 17-year-old, was in contact with a global terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda and had access to a “significant” number of guns and was building bombs, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said during a Monday press conference.
The teen, who was arrested Friday, “conducted general research” into potential targets that weren’t confined to one location, and they were not just in Philadelphia, she said.
“Most concerning was the evidence to his access to firearms and purchased items and materials commonly [used] for constructing improvised explosive devices,” Maguire said. “Among the items he purchased were tactical equipment, wiring, chemicals and devices often used as the detonators.”
These purchases were made within the last few weeks, which quickly escalated this case “in both threat and priority,” she said.
Investigators monitored the suspect’s activity after learning he was in contact with the terrorist group Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), an al Qaeda-affiliated group that primarily operates in the Idlib province in Syria.
He allegedly sent and received media to and from the KTJ on Instagram in March and April that contained terrorist propaganda and guidance on committing to criminal acts, including how to construct a bomb.
He “appeared to be taking steps to travel overseas for the purpose of joining or supporting terrorist activity,” she said.
The suspect wasn’t named because of his age and is currently facing state charges, although both of those will likely change, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
The charges are weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing or risking catastrophe, attempt to commit criminal mischief, possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangerment of another person, Krasner said.
His office will file a motion to prosecute the suspect as an adult, and the charges could be escalated to the federal level, Krasner said. To date, only the 17-year-old has been charged.
“The charges we have filed against this individual represent the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history,” Krasner said in a statement after the arrest.
“We intend to pursue full accountability for these crimes and will continue to work vigilantly with our law enforcement partners to protect all of our communities from hateful, ideologically driven acts of violence.”
Authorities were peppered with questions about his parents and if they’re cooperating, but authorities sidestepped those questions as well as questions about when the suspect began communicating with KTJ, citing the ongoing investigation.
Maguire’s answers were vague, but she said it was “just a matter of weeks” from the time they started surveillance to this weekend’s raid.
She didn’t answer questions about how the suspect came in contact with the terrorist group, but the 23-year counterterrorism veteran said this case is an example of the frightening shift in radicalizing Americans.
“It used to be that years ago you’d have to travel overseas to go to training camps, and that’s not the case anymore because you can very easily sit at home, sit in this country and be radicalized on the internet,” Maguire said. “The threat has changed, and it’s changed drastically over the past couple of decades.
“What hasn’t changed is these foreign terrorist organizations, again, having their sights set on America and being willing to not only recruit people from within this country but to target our citizens and our equities and interest here, too.”
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