Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Attack the White House with Explosives

Today Hasher Jallal Taheb, 23, of Cumming, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to destroy, by fire or an explosive, a building owned by or leased to the United States. Taleb had planned an attack on the White House using weapons and explosives.  As part of the plea agreement, the defendant and the government agreed that the defendant should receive a 15-year sentence of imprisonment.

“Taheb planned to conduct a terrorist attack on the White House as part of what he claimed was his obligation to engage in jihad,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “And that was just one of the iconic American landmarks he wanted to target.  Thanks to a tip from a member of the community and the work of the agents, analysts, and prosecutors responsible for this case, the threat posed by the defendant was neutralized and the defendant has admitted his guilt and will now be held accountable for his crime.”

“Taheb hatched a dangerous plan that would have resulted in unimaginable injury,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.  “We are grateful to community members who noticed his dangerous evolution and alerted law enforcement.  Along with our federal, state and local partners, we will remain vigilant in order to disrupt these types of attacks before they happen.”

“This plea is the result of a more than year-long intensive investigation by FBI Atlanta’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was because of a tip from the community,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “Our citizens are our most important weapons in fighting terrorism, our eyes and ears in our communities, and why we say to please contact law enforcement if you see or hear something suspicious.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: In March 2018, a member of the Atlanta community reported concerns about Taheb to a local law enforcement agency, which then contacted the FBI.  The community member specifically alerted law enforcement that Taheb had become radicalized and was making plans to travel abroad.

During an undercover operation conducted by the FBI, federal investigators learned in October 2018 that Taheb planned to travel overseas and that he had applied for a United States passport in July 2018.  The FBI also learned that Taheb had begun planning domestic attacks in the United States as part of his desire to engage in “jihad.”  His targets initially included the White House and the Statue of Liberty.  Later, in December 2018, Taheb broadened his prospective targets in the Washington, D.C. area, to include the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and a synagogue.

During undercover meetings with Taheb in January 2019, he produced sketches of the White House and described the types of weapons and explosives he wished to use in the attack, including semi-automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices, an anti-tank weapon, and hand grenades.  FBI special agents arrested Taheb on Jan. 16, 2019, after he arrived at a pre-arranged location where he expected to obtain semi-automatic assault rifles, explosive devices, and an anti-tank weapon.

Sentencing for Taheb is scheduled for June 23, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the U.S. Secret Service, investigated this case.  The Forsyth County Sheriff Office and Gwinnett County Police Department also provided assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan and Matthew Carrico and Trial Attorneys Danielle Rosborough and B. Celeste Corlett of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty, 44, from Bowie, Maryland, died March 30, 2020 in Erbil, Iraq, of a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation.

Hilty was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

For more information regarding Sgt. 1st Class John David R. Hilty, media may contact Fort Hood Public Affairs office at 254-287-9993/0106 or usarmy.hood.imcom-central.list.pao-mr@mail.mil.

Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) Outreach Provided Critical Awareness of BMM Suspicious Purchase Detection and Reporting

The Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) was recently credited with providing the outreach and awareness necessary to identify a suspicious purchase at a home improvement store. In January 2020, a home improvement store sales associate recognized suspicious online purchases of potential Bomb-Making Material (BMM). Recalling information received from a recent BMAP outreach training event, the sales associate contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in Brownsville, TX, who administers the BMAP program in Texas. The store manager sent a copy of the purchase order to DPS. The DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division created a suspicious activity report (SAR) for the purchase and entered the information into the Texas SAR network to be shared with fusion centers throughout the state.

Based on the information provided in the purchase order, a receiving address and possible identity of the purchaser was shared with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security office in Houston, TX. Diplomatic Security requested the analysis be entered into the eGuardian system. Within 48-hours of the purchase, local law enforcement and the FBI were able to contact and question the purchaser of his or her intent with the BMM. The FBI confirmed the suspicious purchase was made by a contractor working for a federal agency who was going to use the BMM to build Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training aids for planned IED identification and detection training.

While the contractor’s purchase was for legitimate federal training purposes, this case highlights the effectiveness of the BMAP's ability to train employees on how to identify and report suspicious purchases that can result in the interdiction of a BMM purchaser during the planning stage of the attack cycle. The home improvement store employee accurately deduced that the materials were being purchased to build IEDs and then reported the suspicious purchase to authorities, who took immediate, and correct actions, to ensure a timely investigation. The FBI lauded the home improvement store and its employees for their alertness and quick reaction in reporting the suspicious purchase.