Teen arrested by FBI: What we know about the bomb materials and communication with terrorists

A 17-year old from Philadelphia has been charged after buying materials to make explosives and being in contact with global terror groups.

“I think it’s very fair to say that lives were saved because of this investigation,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s press release.

The teenager has not been named and has multiple charges levied at them, including weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, and reckless endangerment.

The FBI “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,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in the news release.

Qawi Abdul-Rahman, a Philadelphia criminal defense attorney, told The Daily Beast that he was “shocked and devastated” by the arrest of his son.

“I go to court because I want people to know that Muslims are out here doing things in the community, for the community. I’m an American like everyone else,” he said.

“I didn’t see it coming at all. At all.”

What were the bomb materials?

The FBI said the teen had acquired supplies including cleaning chemicals, commonly used in the construction of homemade bombs, as well as finding electrical wiring during a search.

A day later Customs intercepted 14 shipments of military gear that were going to the teenagers address.

How did they communicate with the terrorists?

According to the authorities, they discovered an Instagram account associated with the teenager that had been in contact with the Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ).

The Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad was an extremist militant group that originated in Iraq. It pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, becoming known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) before developing into the Islamic State (ISIS).

ISIS gained global attention in 2014 when it captured large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. Though The territory has since been liberated, the group still acts in the shadows.

The teen was messaging the group in March and April of 2023. A Whatsapp account linked with his number also had a banner of the ISIS flag as his handle.