ISIS-inspired attack thwarted: an attempted assassination of TX congressman

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(The Center Square) – Another ISIS-inspired attack has been thwarted in Texas, this time an alleged attempted assassination of a U.S. congressman in north Texas: U.S. Rep. Keith Self. 

The FBI arrested and charged a 17-year-old resident of McKinney for planning to assassinate Self at an event earlier this month, authorities said. The juvenile also planned to carry out a terrorist attack in North Texas on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The teenage male was arrested on Oct. 5 after acquiring a firearm, federal authorities told WFAA ABC 8 News, which first reported on the arrest and threat late Wednesday. 

WFAA also reported that authorities said the teenager “had been radicalized recently and was being monitored by federal agents.”

“I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat. My family and I are safe, and I remain focused on serving the people of Texas’ 3rd District,” Self said in a social media post.

Self, a Republican who is running for reelection for a third term, co-launched a Sharia Free America Caucus in Congress. Over the last year, he has presided over congressional hearings and sponsored legislation related to banning Islamic Sharia law in the U.S.

When launching the caucus, he said, “The American way of life is under siege by radicals from a culture waging war against our Constitution and Western values. We’ve seen what happens when nations allow this infiltration: countries like France and England are on the verge of losing their identity and sovereignty. The same forces are at play here in America today, and if we don’t stop them, they will conquer our country too.” 

The caucus has since expanded to include dozens of members of Congress who have filed at least seven bills to ban Sharia Law in the United States, Self said earlier this year. The bills focus on safeguarding the U.S. immigration and legal systems “from Sharia infiltration, deporting foreign nationals who adhere to Sharia” and listing the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations, The Center Square reported. Gov. Greg Abbott has already designated both groups as FTOs and is currently being sued by CAIR, which rejects the designation. 

Self also filed the Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act in October, The Center Square reported. Last month, he introduced a non-binding resolution in Congress denouncing Sharia Law.

“Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it – name-calling, threats, and worse,” Self said after the alleged attack was thwarted. “Our Founders believed this country was worth the sacrifice. I served 25 years in the military because defending freedom was worth the sacrifice. This only strengthens my resolve. I will not back down.”

Self is running for reelection in Texas’ 3rd congressional district. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He previously served as Collin County judge, overseeing historic property tax cuts. He was first elected to Congress in 2022 and easily won reelection in 2024.

The FBI arrest in McKinney is the latest in a string of announcements related to ISIS-inspired terrorism charges. Every week, U.S. attorneys are making announcements related to prosecutions or sentencings of ISIS-related crimes, The Center Square has reported. 

The most recent was a Muslim Canadian man sentenced in Pennsylvania to decades in prison on terrorism charges, including providing material support to ISIS. Before that, an 18-year-old Muslim man was arrested, accused of conspiring to commit a terrorist mass casualty event in Minnesota; and a 29-year-old Muslim man in Connecticut was sentenced on terrorism charges after attempting to travel overseas to join ISIS to fight against U.S. troops. 

Prior to that, the Eastern District of New York announced an ISIS-related prosecution of a Georgian national extradited to the U.S. who was wanted on multiple terrorism charges. Before that, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, a 21-year-old Muslim man was charged with planning to commit a major terrorist act on behalf of ISIS. 

Similar cases are being announced nationwide. In most of them, the charges are similar: a Muslim man who was either not alive on Sept. 11, 2001, or was born shortly after the Islamic terrorist attacks, is arrested, charged and prosecuted for supporting an FTO or attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in the United States.