An Egyptian man living in Virginia who was scheduled to be deported has been charged with planning an attack on the Israeli consulate in New York City.
Abdullah as-al-Din Taha Muhammad Hassan allegedly provided bomb-making instructions and plans on how to attack the Manhattan consulate to a confidential FBI source, according to court documents. He was arrested on Tuesday, the FBI told Fox News Digital.
Hassan is charged with distributing information regarding explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction with intent to further the commission of a federal crime.
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On the other side of the pro-Palestinian protest area, a group of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in New York City, holding Israeli flags. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The FBI New York Office wants to reassure the Jewish community here in New York. Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, is using every tool at our disposal to address potential threats against our community. Identify, investigate and stop threats We want to reassure all community members that we remain vigilant in our efforts.”As always, we urge all community members to report suspicious activity to law enforcement and to report any threats to imminent violence or life-threatening situations. We encourage people to call 911 if this occurs,” the FBI said in a statement.
“We thank the public for their continued trust and partnership as we continue to strive to ensure our community remains a safe place for everyone.”
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Mr. Hassan came to the attention of the FBI after Fairfax County police notified federal authorities that a tipster had contacted police about his social media posts about X. The tipster said the account was engaged in “extreme and pro-terrorist activities.”
Federal prosecutors said Hassan praised the Islamic State group and other extremist figures in several posts. In August, the suspect began exchanging messages with a confidential FBI source who he believed was scouting him to carry out a “mass casualty attack,” authorities said.
Demonstrators participate in the “Gaza Emergency Rally” in front of the Israeli Consulate General in New York City on October 9, 2023. (Jennifer Mitchell, FOX News Digital)
Over several weeks, Hassan instructed the informant on how to make bombs, obtain weapons and create a “martyrdom video,” authorities said. In November, he is said to have chosen the Israeli consulate as a target, saying it would be easier to “marty'' it to the police by attacking him with small arms.
Prosecutors said he believed New York would be a “rich target” for attacks. Hassan allegedly told the two men to book flights to countries with which the United States does not have an extradition agreement as they planned the attack. During the attack, sources said they could have killed people with assault rifles at the consulate or detonated explosive vests while standing over targeted groups, court documents said.
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Authorities said Hassan also asked sources to livestream the attack so he could watch it in real time.
Jonathan Harnoff, international spokesman for Israel's mission to the United Nations, said in a statement that the Jewish state “will not be intimidated by terrorism.”
“We will not remain silent in the face of hatred and violence,” he said. “We will not stop in our pursuit of justice and peace. We will continue our fight for the return of all 100 hostages still held in Hamas' terror tunnels in Gaza.”
Prime Minister Sara Netanyahu and Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the 79th General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, expressed gratitude to the authorities who thwarted the alleged attack.
“This attempted attack by a terrorist organization is an attack on the entire sovereign state of the State of Israel,” he wrote to X. “This is proof that terrorism has no limits and that we must fight it anytime and anywhere. It is a challenge to the Western world, and its values must be fought together by all Western democracies alike. We will win together.”
