A 28-year-old Houston man has been charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Anas Syed was arrested by FBI agents in the parking lot of his home on November 8, according to court documents reviewed by Breitbart Texas.
Syed appeared at a detention hearing Thursday before federal Judge Peter Bray and remains in custody. Authorities allege that Saeed operated multiple social media accounts containing messages and posts revealing support for ISIS and violent attacks carried out in the terrorist organization's name.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, law enforcement searched Syed, his residence, vehicles and electronic devices. According to court documents, analysis of the seized equipment ultimately revealed Saeed's activities related to the creation and dissemination of propaganda on behalf of ISIS.
According to detention memorandum Saeed first became the subject of an FBI investigation in late 2017 after receiving information about the online purchase of stickers containing images supporting ISIS. During a subsequent FBI interrogation in 2018, Saeed told authorities that both stickers were meant to show support for ISIS. Said said in an interview that he began believing in ISIS ideology around 2015 after returning to the United States from Lebanon, where he lived with his family until late 2014. The document said Saeed claimed he did not support killings by ISIS, but admitted he had visited ISIS. I like the website and the fact that ISIS is “waking people up.”
Although he has not yet been charged with planning to carry out any acts of violence in the United States, court documents reviewed by Breitbart Texas reveal that Syed allegedly made statements to FBI agents after his arrest. It has become clear that Said may have had such an intention.
When asked about his attempted travel to join ISIS, Saeed said he would return to Lebanon as soon as he was released, according to a detention memorandum filed by the Justice Department in federal court. He also talked about tackling violence in the United States, including considering gun purchases, inspecting military recruiting facilities, and scouting a specific location on Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas.
Authorities allege that Mr. Said also “considered meeting with military personnel near their place of work to ask them whether they supported Israel or whether they were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq to kill Muslims.” If they say yes, I'm going to kill them.'' . The defendant also admitted to having anger and control issues and a desire to kill and fight for ISIS. ”
The document also alleges that Mr. Said discussed investigating an anonymous Jewish organization in Houston. According to court documents, he told agents that he intended to post flyers on doors to discourage aid to Israel. If the flyer distribution was unsuccessful, he would impersonate a donor and collect information from the organization. The defendants also planned to meet with top executives and persuade the organization to stop funding Israel.If the organization's head refused, the defendants would also assault the synagogue and Israel in Houston. We also discussed researching Jewish-related locations, such as consulates, to understand the location, physical layout, and security measures in place at these locations.”
If convicted, Mr. Syed could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted the FBI Houston Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in investigating Syed's activities, including special assistance from the Houston Police Department, Sugar Land Police Department, and Harris County Sheriff's Office. .
JTTF includes the Houston Police Department, Harris County and Montgomery County Sheriff's Offices, Sugar Land Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, IRS – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Secret Service, Houston It is made up of metro police. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Air Marshal Service.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him at X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
