A Houston man has been arrested after allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in the United States that he hoped would be similar to Sept. 11, the FBI announced Thursday.
Anas Said, 28, was arrested by the feds outside his Houston apartment on Nov. 8 and charged with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Said admitted that he’d “tried several times to travel to join ISIS” and offered his home as a “guesthouse” to ISIS members planning attacks on U.S. soil, according to a detention memo filed earlier this week.
He also allegedly researched local military recruitment centers and scouted one particular location as part of “his efforts to commit violence in the United States.” According to the FBI, he acknowledged his desire to “fight for ISIS against all those that support Israel,” and told investigators he researched layouts and security measures at synagogues and the Israel Consulate in Houston.
The bureau had been monitoring Said since 2017 when he allegedly ordered ISIS stickers off the internet. He said in follow-up interviews that he no longer supported ISIS, but the FBI later found multiple Facebook accounts belonging to Said, which he used “to support ISIS and the violent attacks carried out in its name.”
Said also created his own ISIS propaganda to disseminate online and set up an encrypted chat group for ISIS followers, the FBI said. At least one undercover agent got into the chat, where Said allegedly vowed to commit a “9/11-style” attack if he got the resources.
Said’s mother and brother told the FBI that he continued to follow ISIS and “openly acknowledged that he wants to fight against and kill proponents of Israel.”
“We stopped a potential terrorist attack from happening right here in Houston! Any day we can publicly say that is a good day,” the FBI Houston Field Office said on social media Thursday when announcing Said’s arrest.
Baldemar Zuniga, an attorney representing Said, told NBC News the case looked weak.
“Despite allegations that my client made statements to government agents regarding proposed terrorist acts, the indictment does not currently allege any planning, or acts, of terrorism,” Zuniga said. “This appears to be a lengthy investigation and it will take some time to sift through all of the evidence.”
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