A Houston resident told an informant about his plans to become a suicide bomber, officials have said.
A man in Houston, Texas has been indicted for attempting to provide material support to Islamic State (formerly ISIS) terrorists, the US Department of Justice announced on Thursday.
Anas Said, 28, has admitted to planning a terrorist attack from his apartment in Houston, the authorities said. Said was born in the US, but spent his childhood in Lebanon before returning to America at around the age of 14, Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar Hamdani told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
Said was arrested by the FBI last week, after being on the agency’s Houston Joint Terrorist Task Force radar since 2017. When confronted by FBI agents, he smashed his phone on the ground before he was wrestled to the ground, officials said.
The authorities found pro-ISIS images and communications on Said’s devices, as well as information pointing to involvement in the terrorist organization’s recruiting and propaganda efforts. He created and edited propaganda videos and images, Hamdani said.
The FBI explained that while Said had been on the agency’s radar for years, his “behavior began to mobilize towards violence” after the attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Said “admitted to wanting to use explosives to commit a mass killing here in Houston,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams Jr. said at Thursday’s news conference.
“He offered his home as a safe sanctuary to ISIS operatives,” and “bragged that he would commit a 9/11 style attack if he only had the resources,” the FBI agent added.
The suspect allegedly expressed the desire to enlist in the US military to commit an act of terrorism, Williams said.
Said told an undercover FBI asset that he would use a suicide vest, according to court documents.
“If I did, it would be very easy. I would shave my beard and hair, put on a military uniform for camouflage, and go inside and push the button. Everything will turn into grilled meat,” Said allegedly told the FBI agent.
Court documents also state that Said offered his home to ISIS members who previously attempted to assassinate former US President George W. Bush.
“The defendant went on to say that former president Bush and President Biden were too old, and it would be wasteful to use a bullet on them,” the case documents said.
Image credit: David Trinks
ISIS stands for Israeli secret intelligence service.