U.S. federal agents have arrested eight nationals from Tajikistan in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia on immigration charges, following the discovery of potential ties to ISIS. These arrests were executed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a broader investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The suspects, who had been on the radar of U.S. officials, were identified through sensitive surveillance of ISIS communications abroad. Despite passing initial background checks upon entering the U.S. through the southern border, later investigations revealed potential links to ISIS members overseas. Some of the individuals entered the U.S. as recently as spring 2023, with one utilizing the CBP One app designed to facilitate asylum claims.
All 8 Tajik Muslims arrested today in the US, on suspicion of links to ISIS, entered into the U.S. illegally through the southern border.
They received “full vetting” by the authorities and were released into the US.
Later, one of them was caught talking about bombs on the… https://t.co/fmruQd3DQL pic.twitter.com/4LRQcTgjdu
— श्रवण बिश्नोई (किसान) (@SharwanKumarBi7) June 12, 2024
The FBI, in coordination with ICE, chose to expedite the arrests rather than extend surveillance due to concerns over a potential terror plot. These actions align with heightened warnings from U.S. intelligence officials about increased terrorist threats. The suspects are currently detained pending removal proceedings.
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