FBI Nabs Six Russian ISIS Terror Suspects in Multi-City Sting

  • Six suspects were reportedly arrested across three cities.
  • They are accused of having ties to ISIS.
  • Reports revealed that two of the suspects crossed into the US at the southern border. 
  • The suspects were also allegedly tied to Russia.

(NewsReady.com) – In May, the FBI warned about the possibility of terrorist attacks on Pride celebrations during the month of June. The federal agency also issued a warning about the possibility of attacks related to the ongoing issues at the southwest border. Now, reports indicate that federal law enforcement agents nabbed multiple terror suspects in a multi-state sting.

Multi-State Raids

According to an exclusive by the New York Post on June 11, the FBI arrested six men with ties to Russia in a coordinated sting in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials confirmed the arrests over the previous week.

The suspects were reportedly from Tajikistan. The arrests came after months of surveillance by a Joint Terrorism Task Force. The investigation reportedly included a wiretap where the suspects were allegedly recorded discussing bombs.

One of the suspects was released by authorities at the southern border. They had a court date scheduled for next year. After the suspect’s release, authorities became aware of their potential ties to ISIS and obtained a wiretap. Newsweek reported that another one of the suspects also crossed into the US from the southern border in the spring of 2023.

At least one of the men used the CBP One app to book an appointment to claim asylum.

A source told the Post that authorities were concerned about the suspects potentially carrying out an attack like the Boston Marathon bombing.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a statement confirming that “ICE agents arrested several non-citizens” and that they are “detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.” They went on to say the departments were working to ensure they eliminated national security threats.

Warnings from FBI

The arrests took place around the same time FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies to discuss funding for fiscal year 2025.

During questioning by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Wray discussed the problems posed to US security by the porous southern border. He explained that there’s been an increase in the last five or six years “in the number of known or suspected terrorists” who are trying to get into the US by illegally crossing the border.

Wray also said that there’s another problem with people entering the US with fake documents or some other way and the government doesn’t have enough information to put them on a watchlist. He explained that when the US left Afghanistan, it left the government with an intelligence problem because now they don’t have enough information about whether someone from the country is a threat. As a result, they are released into the interior of the country.

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