NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – An Egyptian national attending college in Virginia was arrested by the FBI this week for allegedly plotting a “mass casualty attack” on the Israeli Consulate in Midtown Manhattan.
Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, 18, was arrested Tuesday in Falls Church, Virginia, by members of the FBI Washington Field Office's Joint Terrorism Task Force after allegedly providing bomb-making instructions to an FBI informant, along with plans on how to attack the consulate, according to an affidavit.
Hassan, a freshman at George Mason University, was charged with one count of demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive with intent to murder internationally protected persons.
“Grateful for the quick action taken by the FBI in apprehending the suspect and preventing this cowardly act of antisemitic terror from occurring,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Thursday night. “Hate has no place in New York, and we will always stand with our Jewish neighbors.”
Ofir Akunis, the Israeli Consul General in New York, wrote on X that “the State of Israel deeply appreciates the swift action and cooperation of the American security services in thwarting today's attempted attack on our consulate.”
“This attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety,” Akunis continued. “It's proof that terror knows no boundaries and that we must fight it everywhere and every time.”
The investigation stretches back to May, when the Fairfax County Police Department informed the FBI that it had received an anonymous tip about a user on the X platform who was engaging in “radical terrorist-leaning behavior.”
The FBI traced the account back to Hassan, who they discovered was operating “several pro-ISIS and al Qaeda accounts that promoted violence against Jews,” according to the affidavit.
In August, an FBI informant connected with Hassan, and in the ensuing months Hassan allegedly recruited the informant to “conduct a mass casualty attack,” showing him how to prepare a “martyrdom video” and sending him the bomb-making instructions and links to buy a rifle and ammo.
On Nov. 23, Hassan allegedly identified the Consulate General of Israel as the target for an attack and described New York is “a goldmine of targets,” noting a building representing Jewish people would be "best."
According to the affidavit, he urged the informant to plan for the attack, which he said could be carried out with an assault rifle or explosive vest.
“Two options: lay havoc on them with an assault rifle or detonate a TATP16 vest in the midst of them,” he allegedly wrote.
George Mason University banned Hassan, an information technology major, from the campus following his arrest, a spokesman for the college told the Washington Post.
He’s also in removal proceedings with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, though any deportation would likely be delayed as the criminal case against him plays out.
In a statement, the FBI said in part, “The FBI’s New York Office wants to reassure our Jewish community here in New York that our office—along with our law enforcement partners—remains vigilant in our efforts to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to our community, using every tool at our disposal to do so.”
Devorah Halberstam, a community activist and chair of the NYPD Hate Crime Review Panel, told 1010 WINS that the Jewish people will not be intimidated by the threat.
“We have many, many, many, many, many, many thousands of years of history, where they've wanted to destroy the Jewish people, but we stand, we're here, we shall survive, we will continue to thrive and survive,” Halberstam said.