Eight suspected terrorists from Tajikistan have been arrested in major cities across the country, including New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, over their alleged ties to ISIS, according to reports.
The group of suspects were taken into custody over the course of several days as part of a joint operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to reports. They are all believed to have entered the United States by way of the southern border in 2023, with sources telling NBC Philadelphia that none of their background checks raised any reason to block their entry at the time.
Authorities began monitoring the eight suspects after the FBI became aware of a potential terror threat originating in central Europe. The agencies tracked and followed the suspects’ activities for month prior to the arrests, sources said.
“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,” according to a statement issued by the FBI and ICE, per Fox 29
“As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment,” the statement continued. “The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”
News of the arrests comes just days after FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of terror threats from both foreign and domestic actors, especially in the months since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” Wray declared during a recent Congressional Appropriations hearing.
So far, the suspects are only facing immigration charges, sources told NBC News, adding they have not yet been hit with any counts related to terrorism.
