FBI thwarts terrorist attack in Houston

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Thursday that it recently arrested a man suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Houston, Texas.

The man has been identified as Anas Said (28). He was arrested at his apartment in Texas from where he allegedly planned the attack.

According to a filing made in the U.S. District Court in Texas, Said is accused of providing material support to the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS).

According to court documents, Said told agents that he intended to target U.S. military personnel. He admitted to producing propaganda for ISIS and expressed a desire to gather intelligence on synagogues in Houston and the Israeli consulate in the city, with plans to carry out future attacks on those locations. 

The FBI further indicated that Said had been distributing messages on behalf of ISIS since 2017.

Court documents note that during his interrogations, Said expressed his desire to travel to Lebanon, his home country, and voiced his admiration for Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, a former ISIS spokesman.

"He tried several times to travel to join ISIS and stated he would readily move back to Lebanon if he were released," the documents state. Said claimed he intended to kill soldiers who told him they supported Israel as well as those who had been sent to Afghanistan or Iraq or had killed Muslims.