A teenager in Philadelphia has been arrested and charged for plotting what authorities have called a “catastrophic terrorist attack.”
The 17-year-old boy was arrested by SWAT forces on August 11, following an investigation FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The teen is accused of being in contact with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, an extremist Islamist group affiliated with Al Qaeda. Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad was officially designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department in 2022.
He received instructions from the group on the construction of IEDs and purchased materials used to make explosives as well as "tactical gear."
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said that "the work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims."