PHILADELPHIA, PA – On Friday, a 17-year-old resident of West Philadelphia was taken into custody by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The arrest is part of an ongoing federal terrorism investigation, which includes the collaboration of detectives from the Philadelphia Police Department.
“The work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “The charges we have filed against this individual represent the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history. We intend to pursue full accountability for these crimes and will continue to work vigilantly with our law enforcement partners to protect all of our communities from hateful, ideologically driven acts of violence.”
Charges against the juvenile include Weapons of Mass Destruction, Criminal Conspiracy, Arson, and other serious allegations.
District Attorney Larry Krasner emphasized the gravity of the charges.
According to the D.A., investigators with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were able to connect a Meta (aka Instagram) social media account that communicated with an account affiliated with KTJ in March and April of 2023 to the juvenile.
“A WhatsApp account linked to the juvenile’s phone number was also found by investigators to have a banner of Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs’ Brigade, a Chechnya-based terrorist group, as its profile photo. On August 6, according to the Task Force, the juvenile’s WhatsApp profile photo was changed to the image of the ISIS banner,” a reported by Krasner’s office read.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of law enforcement to counter such threats.