Federal authorities have arrested an Egyptian citizen in Virginia who allegedly plotted to attack the Israeli consulate in New York City while facing deportation proceedings, Fox News Digital reported.
The suspect, Abdullah Azz al-Din Taha Muhammad Hassan, was arrested Tuesday, the FBI told Fox News Digital. He was charged with distributing information about explosives and weapons of mass destruction to further a federal crime, with court documents showing he allegedly shared detailed bomb-making instructions and attack plans with an undercover FBI source.
The FBI's investigation began after receiving a tip from Fairfax County Police Department about concerning social media posts on X that displayed "radical and terrorist-leaning behavior." Federal prosecutors said Hassan's posts included praise for ISIS and other extremist figures.
Court documents state that in August, Hassan began communicating with an FBI confidential source, believing he had recruited the individual to conduct what he termed a "mass casualty attack." Over several weeks, authorities said Hassan provided instructions for bomb-making, weapons acquisition, and creating a "martyrdom video."
Prosecutors said Hassan identified the Consulate General of Israel in Manhattan as the target in November, suggesting it would be easier to attack using small arms and become "martyred" by police. He allegedly described New York as "a gold mine of targets" and instructed the source to book flights to countries lacking extradition agreements with the US.
The court documents reveal Hassan allegedly proposed two attack scenarios: using an assault rifle against consulate occupants or detonating an explosive vest among a group of targets. Authorities said he requested the attack be live streamed for him to watch in real time.
Jonathan Harounoff, international spokesperson for Israel's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, responded to the incident stating, "We will not cower to terror. We will not be silent in the face of hate and violence. We will not stop in our pursuit of justice and peace. We will continue in our fight to return all 100 of our hostages still being held in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza."
Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, praised authorities for preventing the alleged attack, writing on X: "This attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety. It's proof that terror knows no boundaries and that we must fight it everywhere and every time. The threat it poses to the Western world and its values must be fought together by all Western democracies alike. Together we will prevail."
