A 17-year-old teenager was arrested by federal agents in West Philadelphia last Friday in connection with a terrorism investigation.
It was reported that arrest and search warrants were issued at two residences linked to the minor by FBI agents and other bailiffs.
The young man remains in the custody of the authorities for the following charges: possession of weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing a catastrophe, attempt to commit criminal damage, possession of the instrument of crime and recklessly endangering third parties .
The FBI counterterrorism team and the Philadelphia Police found the following in the raid:
- Chemicals and detergents
- cabling
- Parts to make portable detonators
FBI special agent Jacqueline Maguire added that the amount of weapons that the minor had purchased, as well as those that he had access to, were multiple, but they were part of the investigation, so he would not specify.
The officers moved to the arrest in less than 24 hours due to “the risk that the defendant could have caused in Philadelphia, the nation and other parts of the world.” “We see it time and time again, and the potential followers that terrorist groups recruit, no longer do it through training with people traveling outside the country, but they send propaganda to their homes,” Maguire said.
The primary reason for the arrest was “the teenager’s access to weapons and the purchases he made of material to create explosive devices,” according to Maguire. The young man would have had links with the Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (“KTJ”) group, according to the investigation.
The truth is that in addition to the ingredients they did not find explosives or bombs made at home.
District Attorney Larry Krasner explained that although the group in charge of the investigation is federal, the young man is being charged in state court and so far as a minor. “We made a note that we hope to prosecute him in court as adults, but if the United States attorney decides that this should be a totally federal investigation, we will be collaborating,” said the lawyer.
The defendant’s parents are not facing charges at this time.
