(VOICE OF NAIJA) – A 17-year-old boy from West Philadelphia, U.S., is being accused of communicating with a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
He was arrested in the United States, in an ongoing terrorism investigation following an FBI raid at a home along Woodbine Avenue.
The teen was arrested on Friday, August 11, and is being charged as a juvenile, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference.
“The young man who is under arrest is — was an aspiring terrorist who was not merely thinking, but was doing things that are deeply disturbing and presented a grave danger to everyone,” Krasner said.
The teen allegedly had acquired chemicals and had taken steps to build a weapon of mass destruction.
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“Among the items he purchased were tactical equipment, wiring, chemicals, and devices often used as remote detonators,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said at the news conference.
“He had not only taken steps in acquiring those items and materials that are commonly used in improvised explosive devices, but that he had also taken steps to start putting potential devices together,” Maguire said.
The investigation began when the FBI became aware of the teen’s alleged communication with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al Qaeda.
Over a period of weeks, the FBI identified the teen and conducted an investigation, which included surveillance.
The teen also had access to “quite a significant number of firearms,” Maguire said.