FBI Arrests Student at George Mason University for Alleged Plot to Attack Israeli Consulate in New York
The FBI has arrested a student at George Mason University in Virginia, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, accused of plotting a mass casualty attack on the Israeli consulate in New York. According to a federal court filing, Hassan is facing charges related to distributing information on explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction, as well as the intent to murder internationally protected persons.
Hassan, an Egyptian national and a freshman majoring in information technology, was taken into custody after an undercover FBI informant posing as an extremist began communicating with him and orchestrated a plan to carry out the attack. The informant was sent bomb-making instructions and links to purchase cartridges and a rifle to carry out the attack, and Hassan allegedly recruited him to conduct a mass casualty attack.
The FBI was tipped off about Hassan’s activity by a tipster who reported his social media accounts, which allegedly showed a radical and terrorist-leaning behavior, including references to Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri. The FBI was able to trace the online activity to Hassan’s phone and a university campus IP address in Virginia.
Hassan has been banned from entering the George Mason University campus, and the university has issued a statement condemning his actions and reaffirming its commitment to campus safety. The arrest comes amid rising threats against Jews, Palestinians, and Muslims in the US, as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza rages on.