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Palestinian man who plotted to kill Jews in Houston arrested on federal firearms charges
(JTA) — A Palestinian man living in the Houston area has been charged by the FBI with illegal possession of a firearm after reportedly plotting to attack a Jewish gathering.
The man, 20-year-old Sohaib Abuyyash, was arrested Oct. 19 on federal charges unsealed on Friday. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, he “has been conducting physical training and has trained with weapons to possibly commit an attack.” Abuyyash has Jordanian citizenship and was in the United States on an expired visa.
CNN, quoting an unnamed law enforcement source, reported that Abuyyash was “plotting to attack a Jewish gathering” and spoke of “martyrdom.” The suspect also appeared with pistols and assault weapons in firearms training videos posted to social media.
Abuyyash has also “been in direct contact with others who share a radical mindset,” according to the FBI indictment. He is set to be arraigned on Nov. 13 and faces up to 15 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
In a message to the local Jewish community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston thanked the FBI for its work on the case and advised local Jews to check their security protocols and “remain vigilant.”
“When an arrest like that is made it sends two messages to our community,” the federation’s CEO, Renée Wizig-Barrios, told local news outlets. “The first message is the FBI is doing an excellent job of pursuing these terrorists, and we’re grateful for that. And it also is fearful for people.”
She added, “We’re not going to take our mezuzah off our doors.”
The case has attracted interest from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who referenced the arrest during a Senate hearing last week as Jews across the United States have faced a reported increase in antisemitism amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. Wray said antisemitism had reached “historic levels” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked a war in Gaza between the terror group and Israel.
Wray testified that Abuyyash expressed “support for killing Jews.”
For now, Abuyyash has not been charged in conjunction with any planned antisemitic attacks. He is being held, pending further criminal proceedings, for illegally possessing a firearm — the most immediate charge for which the FBI could arrest him while it continues its investigation, according to CNN.
Abuyyash moved to the United States from Jordan in 2016 on a tourist visa and applied for asylum in the United States after his visa expired in 2019. According to CNN, he had been authorized to work in the country under the condition that he not “possess or use any firearms or ammunition.”
During testimony to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Tuesday, Wray called attention to Abuyyash’s arrest when discussing the risks of domestic terrorism threats in the United States in the wake of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Here in the United States, our most immediate concern is that violent extremists, individuals or small groups, will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives,” Wray said during the hearing. “That includes not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities.”
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The post Palestinian man who plotted to kill Jews in Houston arrested on federal firearms charges appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”