A teenager promised to carry out “lone wolf operations in Las Vegas” in support of ISIS before his alleged terror plot was thwarted, according to law enforcement.
“Peace be upon all brothers who see this. I am here to announce that I will be starting lone wolf operations in Las Vegas against the enemies of Allah,” the suspect is alleged to have written in a November 28 social media post.
“I ask you to make Dua for victory. I am a supporter of the Islamic State, and I will make sure the Zionists in this city know it.”
The 16-year-old suspect has not been named as he is a minor.
The message was allegedly posted on Tuesday. By Friday, the teenager was arrested, and federal agents discovered components to build an explosive device and terrorist propaganda, Deputy Chief Dori Koren, who oversees Metro Police’s Homeland Security and Special Operations Division said.
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The ISIS flag and words in Arabic were also included in the social post, Koren told the press conference on Friday.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department counter-terrorism division were able to quickly mobilize, and identify the suspect and his location “within hours” of the post, Koren said.
Law enforcement – including SWAT teams – executed a number of warrants to foil the alleged plot, and take the suspect into custody, he said.
“It’s important to note that we believe this is an isolated threat that we were able to quickly mitigate,” Koren said. “There’s no indication at this time that there are additional threats to our community.”
Authorities said they recovered a handmade ISIS flag, headband and patches, ISIS and Al Qaeda propaganda; guidance for conducting a terrorist attack and self-portraits of the suspect surrounded by ISIS propaganda, he said.
But even more troubling was the recovery of components to build improvised explosive devices, bomb-making recipes and instructions, Koren said.
The suspect was charged with terroristic threats, attempt to further an act of terrorism, providing material support to a terrorist organization and five counts of possession of explosive components, all of which are felonies.
The case will be prosecuted by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Nevada.
The investigation is ongoing, and further information about the case will be released in the coming weeks, Koren said.
Anyone with any information connected to this case, or general suspicious activity, is asked to call the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center at 702-828-7777.
