LOS ANGELES—Eight people with suspected ties to the ISIS terror organization were arrested in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York after entering the United States through the southern border and passing initial criminal background checks, according to multiple reports on June 12.
According to The New York Post, which was first to report the arrests, six Russian nationals hailing from Tajikistan were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a coordinated sting operation in the three cities. The arrests came after ICE was contacted by the FBI. NBC News reported that two other people who were part of the same group were also arrested after being under surveillance for “several months” by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Sources told the Post that a wiretap revealed one of the suspects was talking about bombs.
Sources said all eight of the suspects had their backgrounds checked when they crossed the border, and all of them came back clean, prompting officials to release them all with future court dates. NBC reported that two of the men entered the United States in spring 2023, and at least one of them used the CBP One app, which allows migrants to schedule appointments for asylum claims.
The Department of Homeland Security and FBI issued a joint statement saying, “Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities. The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”
Sources told NBC News that the Terrorism Task Force had been aware of a potential terror threat originating in central Europe, and it began monitoring the group of now-arrested suspects as part of its investigation. The sources said no official link has been made between the suspects and any specific terror plot, but they were arrested due to potential ties to ISIS.
