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The FBI arrested a man in Houston, Texas, accused of plotting a terror attack on U.S. soil. Anas Said, 28, was taken into custody last week on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a press release on Thursday (November 14).
FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said that Said bragged to investigators that he would have committed a "9/11-style" terror attack if he had the resources. While in custody, he admitted that he researched local military recruiting centers, which he planned to attack. He also told them that he offered his apartment to members of ISIS and produced propaganda for the terrorist organization.
Said has been on the FBI's radar since 2017 and was interviewed by agents four times in 2018. According to Fox News, Said told FBI agents that "he no longer consumed radical Islamic propaganda" during an interview in 2019.
That claim turned out to be untrue, and in 2023, the FBI was contacted by Meta with information about 11 Facebook accounts used by Said, showing his "continued support [of] ISIS and the violent attacks carried out in its name."
"Due to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, Said's behavior began to mobilize towards violence. As a result of this path towards violence, he jumped to the top of our list of national security threats here in Houston," Williams said.
If convicted, Said faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.