Virginia Student Accused in Mass Casualty Plot to Target Israel’s Consulate

[Social Media]

 

An 18-year-old George Mason University freshman, Abdullah Hassan, has been charged with conspiring to attack Israel’s general consulate in New York using explosive devices or other weapons. Federal prosecutors allege that Hassan, an Egyptian national, provided detailed instructions on how to construct explosives and suggested various attack methods, including a suicide vest, assault rifle, or a homemade bomb.  

 

Hassan faces one count of demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive with the intent to harm internationally protected individuals, a charge carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Additional charges may follow as the investigation develops. In the meantime, George Mason University has barred Hassan from its campus, and U.S. authorities have placed him in deportation proceedings, which are likely to be delayed until the resolution of his criminal case and any subsequent sentence.  

 

The FBI’s investigation revealed Hassan’s active engagement in online propaganda, which included posts praising Osama bin Laden and sharing antisemitic content. According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, these activities were linked to Hassan through his phone and home IP address. Agents also traced his use of social media accounts, including activity from a campus IP address, on the same day they observed him at George Mason University.  

 

In November, Hassan reportedly sent an Islamic State-themed video to an undercover FBI informant posing as a terrorist sympathizer. The video called for violence against Jewish people. After receiving the video, the informant pledged loyalty to Hassan and agreed to carry out a mass-casualty attack under his guidance, according to federal filings. Hassan then initiated several days of planning, suggesting different methods of attack. He provided the informant with an instructional video on how to create an acetone-peroxide bomb, marked with the Islamic State logo, and discussed alternative methods such as using firearms or a suicide vest.  

 

This case comes amid heightened scrutiny of George Mason University’s response to pro-Palestinian activism on campus. Recently, two sisters who served as current and former presidents of the university’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine were banned from campus for four years. This decision followed a law enforcement search of their home, which uncovered guns, ammunition, and materials bearing slogans advocating violence against Jewish individuals.  

 

Public defender Cadence Mertz, representing Hassan, has declined to comment on the case. Meanwhile, federal officials emphasize that Hassan’s arrest is part of an ongoing effort to address domestic threats involving terrorism and antisemitism.  

As the legal proceedings continue, the case has underscored the importance of vigilance against extremism while sparking conversations about the intersection of activism, free speech, and public safety on college campuses.

 

Based on a report by WP 2024-12-21

 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

An 18-year-old George Mason University freshman, Abdullah Hassan,

clues in the name I guess

[Bkk Brian]

On 12/21/2024 at 3:03 AM, Social Media said:

Meanwhile, federal officials emphasize that Hassan’s arrest is part of an ongoing effort to address domestic threats involving terrorism and antisemitism.

Its getting worse daily, this case proves how close its getting to another mass casualty event. The Hamas supporting mobs out on the streets will be so pleased when it happens. Scum

[JonnyF]

I bet he's Islamaphobic like the German Christian market attacker. 

[riclag]

21 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

clues in the name I guess

Hamas is coming!

The useful idiots who belong to the anti colonialism, anti oppressed, divest  from institutional capitalism wrote their Marxist threats on my country’s statues, remember?

 

 

 

 

 

[placnx]

On 12/21/2024 at 3:03 AM, Social Media said:

This case comes amid heightened scrutiny of George Mason University’s response to pro-Palestinian activism on campus. Recently, two sisters who served as current and former presidents of the university’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine were banned from campus for four years. This decision followed a law enforcement search of their home, which uncovered guns, ammunition, and materials bearing slogans advocating violence against Jewish individuals.

I could not access the Washington Post article without resubscribing, but this link gives a different picture of the issues at George Mason University:

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/03/george-mason-fbi-gaza-palestine-israel/

"In the early morning hours of November 7, more than 12 police officers showed up outside at an address in Springfield, Virginia, knocked, broke down the door, and raided the family home of two Palestinian American students at George Mason University.

 

University and Fairfax County police refused to show the family the warrant."

 

"Police seized electronics from the residence, including phones and laptops, but made no arrests. At one point, police found antique firearms legally registered to the family’s son, a Mason alum and volunteer deputy chief firefighter. 

 

Following the raid, authorities brought charges against the son related to the firearms. He litigated the charges, and a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge dismissed them two weeks later."

 

This is just a sample of what is happening on the GMU campus. Checkout this very interesting article.