FBI announces the arrest of 28-year-old Anas Said, who was allegedly planning a terrorist attack and attempted to provided material support to ISIS.

Said was arrested in front of his west Houston apartment on Nov 8. Officials say Said has admitted to trying to travel to join ISIS multiple times and talked about committing violence in the US.

“We’ve taken a suspected terrorist off the streets of Houston,” FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said.

Court documents reveal that the FBI had first found out about Said’s support for ISIS in 2017, where he bought stickers related to the group. He was interviewed and admitted to supporting their ideology starting in 2015 but said that he no longer had those views.

However, in late 2023, the FBI found that Said had been creating ISIS propaganda and was spreading it, creating multiple Facebook accounts to support them and an encrypted group chat for ISIS followers. He revealed that he was also considering buying a gun to target military recruitment locations and wanted to commit a “9/11 style” attack.

Williams also said that Said has admitted to wanting to use explosives to commit a mass killing and revealed to an undercover FBI agent that Said would do it by disguising himself in a military uniform and using an explosive belt.

According to CNN, in interviews with his mother and brother, Said created a considerable amount of ISIS propaganda and “openly acknowledged that he wants to fight against and kill proponents of Israel.”

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said that Said was born in Houston but moved to Lebanon “shortly thereafter”, coming back in 2014.