Federal authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of a Georgia man in a terror plot involving using an anti-tank rocket in an attack against federal buildings, including the White House, according to the Springfield News-Sun.
21-year-old Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming, Georgia was arrested in Gwinnett County, after which he appeared briefly in a downtown Atlanta courtroom in a case brought by the FBI.
“Taheb broadened his prospective targets in the Washington, D.C. area and indicated he wished to attack the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and a specific synagogue,” the complaint reads.
According to prosecutors, Taheb – who is believed to have been acting alone, reportedly spoke of traveling to territory controlled by the Islamic State.
Accoring to AJC.com Taheb allegedly put his vehicle up for sale, at which point an FBI informant reached out to show interest – meeting with him days later.
The criminal complaint, which accuses him of plotting to destroy a government building, said a community member contacted law enforcement in March 2018 to say that Taheb had become radicalized. –AJC
U.S. Attorney Byung Jin Pak said that Taheb is charged with “intent to destroy by fire or explosive a building owned, possessed or leased by the United States or any department or agency thereof, or any institution or organization receiving federal financial assistance,” among other charges.
“His alleged intent was to attack the white house and other targets of opportunity in the Washington DC area by using explosive devices including an improvised explosive device, and an anti-tank rocket,” said Pak.
The case was initiated “after receiving a tip from the community.”