George Mason Student Accused of Plot to Attack Israeli Consulate in New York

A freshman from George Mason University in Virginia is facing accusations of planning an attack on the Israeli consulate general in New York. Federal court documents reveal he is charged with distributing information related to weapons of mass destruction.

The student, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an 18-year-old Egyptian national, reportedly interacted with an FBI informant he met online. When the informant suggested it could be God’s will for them to act, Hassan encouraged the informant to attack government buildings. He also shared a link to a video providing bomb-making instructions, as detailed in an affidavit filed by an FBI agent on Monday.

Upon learning that the informant was in New York, Hassan described the city as a “goldmine of targets” and suggested that the best target would be a building connected to “Yahud” (the Arabic term for Jews). The following day, Hassan sent the informant the address of the Israeli consulate in New York.https://wordpress.com/

In one message, Hassan wrote, “Two options: lay havoc on them with an assault rifle or detonate a TATP vest in the midst of them,” referring to a type of explosive.

Hassan was arrested on Tuesday in Falls Church, Virginia. The charge he faces could result in a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

George Mason University, located in Fairfax, Virginia, is the state’s largest public research university, with around 40,000 students. It also claims to be the most diverse university in Virginia. Its law school, renamed after Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, is known for its focus on conservative legal scholarship.

University spokesman Paul Allvin confirmed that Hassan was a freshman studying information technology. Although he did not reside on campus, Hassan was banned from university property after his arrest. The university has implemented enhanced security measures and maintains close cooperation with local and federal law enforcement. It has also developed Virginia’s first fully equipped university SWAT team.

Court documents show that Hassan is currently in deportation proceedings. He was previously interviewed by the FBI in 2022, when he was a minor, for expressing support online for the terrorist group ISIS.

In May, the FBI received a tip from the Fairfax County Police Department about a Virginia-based X user supporting ISIS and Hamas. In August, an FBI informant began communicating with Hassan on Telegram after responding to a post linked to him. By November, Hassan had sent the informant a pro-ISIS video calling for the killing of Jews. The two men then discussed plans for a terrorist attack.

Later that month, Hassan inquired about the informant’s progress in acquiring bomb-making materials. The informant responded that he was studying timers and had gathered most of the necessary materials, to which Hassan replied, “good work.”

A few days later, Hassan offered advice on the appropriate size of ball bearings to use as shrapnel. The FBI is also investigating Hassan for allegedly providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.