FBI agent (illustration)
FBI agent (illustration)iStock

A Virginia resident was arrested this week for allegedly planning a mass casualty attack at the Israeli Consulate General in New York City.

The suspect, Abdullah Azz al-Din Taha Muhammad Hassan, was arrested after identifying the intended target and sharing detailed instructions on how to manufacture and use an explosive device with an undercover FBI agent.

The suspect is also alleged to have running several pro-ISIS and pro-Al Qaeda social media accounts, promoting violence against Jews, and reportedly intended to distribute livestream footage of the violent attack.

Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis thanked the American authorities for foiling the plot: "The State of Israel deeply appreciates the swift action and cooperation of the American security services in thwarting today's attempted attack on our consulate."

He noted that "this attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety. It's proof that terror knows no boundaries and that we must fight it everywhere and every time. The threat it poses to the Western world and its values must be fought together by all Western democracies alike. Together we will prevail."