US teen charged in terrorism probe

A 17-year-old from Philadelphia has been charged with plotting a possibly “catastrophic terrorist attack” after authorities claimed he had been engaging with an al-Qaeda-linked group and stockpiling bomb-making equipment.

The unnamed teen was arrested by FBI SWAT officers at his home in West Philadelphia on Friday following an investigation conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, officials announced on Monday.

The investigation “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,” Philadelphia’s district attorney, Larry Krasner, said on Monday of the suspect he described as an “aspiring terrorist.”

He added that charges filed “represent the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history” and that prosecutors intend to try the suspect as an adult.

The teenager had allegedly been in direct communication with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KJT), an organization designated by the US State Department in 2022 as a global terrorist operation. The group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, operates mainly in Syria but was suspected of involvement in the April 2017 Metro attack in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, which killed 15 people as well as the perpetrator.

The suspect had allegedly received guidance from the Islamist extremist group on how to assemble improvised explosive devices. He had also been observed by FBI agents buying bomb-making materials and military-style tactical body equipment. Among the charges faced by the juvenile are possessing weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy and arson.

“I think it’s very fair to say that lives were saved because of this investigation,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said on Monday, adding that the teen had taken initial steps to travel overseas “for the purpose of joining, or supporting, terrorist activity.”

An advisory notice published in 2018 by the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence warned that teenagers can be “particularly vulnerable” to radicalization online by terrorist groups. The report also found that such organizations often tailor their messaging to appeal to younger people.

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