Report: Jordanian Arrested in Texas Was Allegedly ‘Plotting to Attack a Jewish Gathering’

A Jordanian national was arrested in Houston, Texas, last month on a federal firearm possession charge and was allegedly “plotting to attack a Jewish gathering,” according to a report.

CNN reports:

Sohaib Abuayyash, 20, who is in the United States on an expired nonimmigrant visa, made “statements to others that support the killing of individuals of particular religious faiths,” and “referenced an event in Houston for members of a particular religious group,” according to a federal court judge who ordered the man be detained pending trial.

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The affidavit also says Abuayyash “has been in direct contact with others who share a radical mindset, has been conducting physical training, and has trained with weapons to possibly commit an attack.”

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But in an order of detention pending trial document filed on October 24, US Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan wrote that Abuayyash “has viewed specific and detailed content posted by radical organizations on the internet including lessons on how to construct bombs or explosive devices; and that Defendant has made statements to others that support the killing of individuals of particular religious faiths.”

Read the full report here.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, during his Tuesday remarks before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, alluded to Abuayyash, though the nation’s top law enforcement official did not mention him by name.

“The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole other level,” Wray told lawmakers.

“Here in the United States, our most immediate concern is that violent extremists — individuals or small groups — will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives,” the FBI head added. “That includes not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities. We’ve seen that already with the individual we arrested last week in Houston who’d been studying how to build bombs and posted online about his support for killing Jews.”

In a statement to CNN, an FBI Houston field office confirmed that Wray was referring to Abuayyash in his comments.

“I am deeply concerned by reports of a possible terrorist plot to attack the Jewish community in Houston,” Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) said in a statement obtained by Houston Public Media.“As anti-semitic threats against Jews in the United States have reached historic levels in recent weeks, it is critical that we ensure the safety of Jewish families in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District and across our country.”

Concerns surrounding a potential attack on the Jewish community in the U.S. and around the world coincide with Israel’s ongoing military response to Hamas’s terror attack on the Jewish state, which killed 1,200 people and left thousands more wounded.

Antisemitic attacks around the world have soared in the last year, according to newly published research co-produced by leading Jewish bodies.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

In the wake of the recent Hamas massacre, a disconcerting report has been released, revealing a 500% surge in antisemitic incidents globally compared to the same timeframe the previous year. This study, jointly conducted by the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, and the Jewish Agency, sheds light on the mounting challenges Jewish communities face amidst escalating geopolitical tensions.

“The current levels of antisemitism are unparalleled in the past decade. The war is undeniably the chief catalyst. This should be a wake-up call for both the state and its citizens,” an official at WZO said in a statement.

In particular, U.S. college campuses have experienced an “alarming rise” in antisemitic incidents as pro-Palestinian students protest against Israel over its response to Hamas’s attack.

In the wake of the bloody assault, student groups at colleges across the U.S. — namely Harvard University — expressed support for the Palestinians and even went as far as to suggest Israel was to blame for the assault.

Editor’s Note:  This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.  The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.