A Lebanese migrant who was caught sneaking across the border admitted he was a member of Hezbollah, wanted to make bombs and was destined for New York, The Post has revealed.
Basel Bassell Ebadi, 22, was arrested by Border Patrol agents on March 9 near El Paso, Texas. While in his custody, he asked what he was doing in the United States and he replied, “Trying to make a bomb,” according to Border Patrol documents obtained exclusively by the newspaper.
Ebadi later said in a sworn interview that he had trained with Hezbollah for seven years and spent an additional four years as an active member guarding a weapons cache, according to internal ICE documents.
Ebadi’s training focused on “jihad” and the killing of “non-Muslims,” he said.
Border Patrol agents continue to see a surge in migrants whose names are on terrorist watch lists illegally entering the United States as border crossings continue at record levels.
The Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah fired a missile into northern Israel following a Hamas attack on October 7, killing about 12 Israeli Defense Force soldiers and seven civilians.
Ebadi said he was fleeing Lebanon because he “didn’t want to kill people,” adding: “Once you’re in, you can never get out.”
According to ICE documents, Mr. Ebadi was undocumented when he entered the United States and claimed he was robbed “at knifepoint” while in Costa Rica. He also admitted this year to using a fake birth date and name in Sweden, Ecuador, where he claims his father lives, and Panama.
He said he originally wanted to go to New York and then move around the United States.
Ebadi was immediately placed in isolation and sent to interview the Tactical Terrorism Response Team (TTRT) for making “terrorist threats against personnel.”
According to internal documents, he was subject to deportation from the United States, but it was unclear to which country he would be sent back.
Border Patrol agents recorded 98 encounters with individuals on terrorist watch lists on the northern and southern borders in fiscal year 2022, nearly double that number in fiscal year 2023, which ends Sept. 20. There were 172 cases. In the first four months of 2024, there have been 59 cases so far. People are being arrested, according to federal data.
The total number of terrorist incidents placed on the watch list from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2021 was only 30, but the previously unpublished criteria for inclusion on the list have since been expanded.
Days before former President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, an immigrant on a terrorist watch list entered the area illegally, according to an internal agency memo obtained by the newspaper.
Carlos Obed Epes Bedoya, 40, a Colombian national, was first arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and turned over to the Border Patrol. Border Patrol agents have determined that Epes-Bedoya is suspected of having ties to terrorism.
“This highlights the need for border security measures, as the potential threat to both public safety and national security is clear and exploits security vulnerabilities.” state DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told The Post at the time.
“The federal government has failed to enact border security measures, and Texas continues to take unprecedented action to support border security through Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star,” Olivares said.
