A 21-year-old Georgia man was arrested Wednesday after authorities foiled his alleged plot to blow up the White House and other federal buildings using anti-tank rockets and improvised explosive devices this week.
Hasher Jallal Taheb was arrested after reportedly trying to exchange his vehicle for explosives with an undercover FBI agent, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Wednesday.
According to court documents, Taheb told an undercover FBI agent that he wanted to be a martyr and “do as much damage as possible,” the Washington Post reported.
US Attorney’s Office and FBI: Hasher Jallal Taheb, 21, of Georgia, arrested for allegedly planning to attack the White House and other federal buildings in Washington, DC; community tip led to arrest; believe he was acting on his own.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 16, 2019
The criminal complaint says that Taheb described a plan to “blow a hole in the White House,” and then he and apparently others could go inside with guns and grenades, the Post reported.
The investigation into Taheb has been ongoing since March 2018, when an area resident claimed Taheb had been radicalized and planned to travel, NBC reported.
“All potential threats have been neutralized and were under control from the inception of this case,” U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak said during a press conference.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force said Taheb acted alone.
