The number of US citizens and residents charged with supporting the Islamic State has risen to 52 after authorities arrested a New York City college student for allegedly planning to carry out a terrorist attack.
Munther Omar Saleh, a 20-year-old US citizen from Queens, was taken into custody on Saturday after he confronted law enforcers who were tailing him, NBC News reported.
Saleh, who was enrolled in an aeronautical college in Queens, was carrying a Smith & Wesson folding tactical knife when he was apprehended.
Authorities accused of Saleh of searching the Internet for information on how to obtain weapons or components that could be used to build a bomb. However, court documents did not suggest that he actually acquired any explosives or crafted a plan to get one. The documents said he was found to have searched online on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, like the one used in the Boston Marathon bombings. He allegedly looked for terms such as "watch," "casio," and "vacuum," which are needed to construct an explosive device.
Investigators started noticing him last March when he was seen walking on the George Washington Bridge on two occasions.
Saleh denied supporting the Islamic State when he was questioned by authorities at the time.
Nevertheless, the FBI started keeping an eye on his communications, observing that Saleh had expressed support for ISIS' heinous executions including that of a Jordanian pilot and a Japanese journalist as well as the assault on a Muhammad-drawing contest in Texas.
Saleh was said to have posted pro-ISIS messages on Twitter and other social networks. In one of his tweets, he said al-Qaeda was "too moderate."
Saleh likewise confided to an undercover FBI operative that he is involved in an operation, the FBI said. "I'm in N.Y. trying to do an Op," he allegedly told the FBI agent.
Saleh was detained with an unnamed companion after they stopped their car and approached police officers in a threatening way. The two allegedly attempted to attack the police, who were following them in a cruiser.
