Law enforcement officers have arrested three men in connection with an ISIS-inspired plan to target concerts, subways and landmarks in New York City in 2016.
One of the men said he wanted “shoot up concerts cuz they kill lots of people”. Sound familiar?
NBC reports:
Three men — Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, a 19-year-old Canadian citizen; Talha Haroon, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen based in Pakistan; and Russell Salic, a 37-year-old Philippines citizen — were all arrested on terror-related charges in the alleged plot that would have targeted New York City during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in 2016, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim.
Kim’s office said the plot was more aspirational than operational, but the trio used chat apps to talk about setting off bombs and shooting people in Times Square and the subway system. Prosecutors added that Al Bahnasawy also communicated with an undercover agent posing as an ISIS sympathizer about wanting to “shoot up concerts cuz they kill lots of people.”
“We just need guns in our hands,” El Bahnasawy said. “That’s how the Paris guys did it.”
ABC News reported that El Bahnasawy has pleaded guilty to the charges against him. Haroon and Salic were arrested in foreign countries, according to the press release.
“It is the hope and expectation of this Office and U.S. law enforcement that they will be extradited to the United States to face justice in a United States court,” the press release states.
It is no secret that ISIS and Islamic terrorists target concerts. It is a place where a lot of people are gathered at once, making it easier for terrorists to kill a lot people in a short period of time.
Stephen Paddock targeted the Route 91 Harvest in Las Vegas and ISIS has tripled down on their claims that he converted to Islam six months ago. Is there a connection to this plot? Does this give us further proof that Paddock was taking orders from ISIS to target concerts?
We know that Paddock also booked rooms at the Blackstone hotel in Chicago overlooking Lollapalooza two months before the Las Vegas mass shooting.
TMZ reports:
Stephen Paddock had his sights set on Lollapalooza in Chicago and even booked 2 rooms in a hotel that overlooked the massive outdoor venue … TMZ has learned.
Check out this pic of a computer screen at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, located across the street from the venue, Grant Park, where 400,000 people — including Malia Obama — squeezed in over 4 days to watch big musical acts.
Paddock booked one room for August 1, 2017, 2 days before the August 3 kickoff. Paddock then booked a second room for an August 3 arrival. Both rooms had an August 6 checkout … that’s when Lollapalooza ended.
