Latest Terror News | Fox News

Japanese bear-fightin' robo-wolves are pure unleaded nightmare fuel but they're working

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:56:08 -0400

There are so many things happening around the world, it's really tough to stay up to speed on everything. However, one thing that I can't believe isn't talked about more is the problem Japan is having with bear attacks.

In fact, it has gotten so bad that they've turned to robotic wolves to deal with it.

Killer Bears vs. Robo-Wolves? Hands off, everybody. I'm writing the screenplay for what is sure to be a Syfy channel movie channel movie if it isn't already.

Bear encounters are on the rise in Japan, with 200 injuries and 13 fatalities reported just since the start of 2025. It's gotten so bad that, according to Popular Science, they even had to deploy the military to deal with the problem.

JAPAN DEPLOYS MILITARY AFTER RECORD BEAR ATTACKS ACROSS COUNTRY

Perhaps someone was watching "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and thought, "Hey, let's throw some robots at this problem."

They did, and it has proven to be the secret weapon. Monster Wolf, a $4,000 robot with sensors and sound effects designed to scare away bears, deer and, really, by the looks of it, anything else it wants to.

Because it might be the scariest thing I've ever seen.

Did... did they have to go that hard?

I think you can scare most animals by hitting a tree trunk with a stick; you don't need a robotic version of one of the heads of Cerberus.

I mean, yeah, no one seems to know what to do when a bear attacks. Some people say you roll up in a ball, others say you make yourself big. Some say you stay quiet, while others say you blast an air horn in its face.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

So, after centuries — maybe millennia — of not knowing what to do when a bear goes all Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Revenant" on youThe Revenant on you, it turns out the answer was simple: robot wolves.

Terrifying robot wolves that we'll all see in our sleep tonight.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

I mean, imagine going on a hike and running into that. You'd wish you were getting mauled by a bear.

But there's one problem. They seem to be working, and because each Monster Wolf is custom-made, they're having trouble keeping up with demand.

Dana White says he refused to get down during White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 23:55:14 -0400

The reactions to the shocking shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner are coming in, but I don't think you'll see too many like the one coming from UFC boss Dana White.

White is, of course, a close friend of the president and was invited to the event.

In fact, he was even interviewed on the red carpet and talked about the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 that will take place at the White House on June 14.

But the night took a turn when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint and shot a Secret Service agent, who is, thankfully, expected to be okay.

UFC'S BRUCE BUFFER SAYS IT WILL BE AN 'HONOR' TO BE AT WHITE HOUSE: 'IT'S GONNA BE AMAZING'

Fortunately, there have been no reports of attendees being hurt, and President Trump, the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, and other Trump administration officials were taken out of the room while guests hid under tables.

Obviously, the ballroom where the dinner was taking place was filled with more than 2,000 people who were understandably very shaken by what had happened.

However, Dana White was not one of those rattled by it.

As guests were filing out of the Washington Hilton ballroom and the surrounding area, White took a second to talk to some reporters on his way out about what he experienced.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

"It started getting noisy, tables started flipping over, guys running in with guns, and they were screaming 'Get down,'" White said. "I didn't get down. It was f--king awesome. I literally took every minute of it in, and it was a pretty crazy, unique experience."

White said he was sitting right in front of the head table, where the president, vice president and first lady, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House Correspondents’ Association members and others were seated.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Guys came in looking for shooters," he continued. "They came toward our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something."

I don't think too many people would react to a situation of this magnitude the way Dana White did, but he's certainly built differently.

Terror suspects indicted after allegedly throwing bombs at NYC protest outside mayor's mansion

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:47:50 -0400

The two terror suspects accused of trying to bomb a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence last month, in what authorities have described as an ISIS-inspired attack, were indicted on Tuesday, according to federal prosecutors.

Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, are accused of throwing live explosive devices into a protest outside Mamdani's Gracie Mansion residence on March 7, after driving from Pennsylvania. The bombs failed to detonate and nobody was injured.

Both were charged with eight counts: conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, provision and attempted provision of material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, carrying of explosives during the commission of a federal felony, transportation of explosive materials, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and unlawful possession of destructive devices.

"As alleged, just weeks ago, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi carried out a terrorist attack on the streets of New York," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. "They sought to murder multiple innocent victims in the name of ISIS. The brave women and men of the NYPD responded immediately, and Balat and Kayumi were arrested on site."

NEW VIDEO SHOWS TERROR SUSPECT TACKLED AFTER ALLEGEDLY THROWING BOMB AT NYC PROTEST OUTSIDE MAYOR'S RESIDENCE

"Since their attack, our partners at the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have uncovered evidence revealing the alleged meticulous planning by the defendants in their attack, including a notebook with detailed attack plans and a storage unit containing explosive residue and bomb-making materials," he added.

When speaking to law enforcement, Balat allegedly said he wanted the planned attack to be "bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing."

After Kayumi was arrested and waiting to be placed inside an NYPD vehicle, someone from the surrounding crowd yelled at him and asked why he carried out the attack.

"ISIS," he allegedly responded.

PENNSYLVANIA MEN ACCUSED OF ISIS-INSPIRED BOMB ATTACK ON NYC PROTESTERS NEAR MAYOR'S MANSION: TIMELINE

The pair also made comments recorded on dashcam in which they discussed soon carrying out the attack as they traveled to New York, according to the indictment.

"What do you think? Are they going to remove the airplanes for us ... over New York? Are they going to stop them? If we do the attack and the bombs go off and everything?" Balat asked.

"Just can't wait for that bomb to go off and his freaking head, his body to get split in half bro, dead," he added.

Kayumi said, "All I know is I want to start terror, bro" and "I want to petrify these people."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A forensic analysis of two unexploded devices — one that Balat tossed into the crowd of protesters and another that Kayumi handed to Balat before Balat dropped it on the ground near NYPD officers — found that both contained explosives, according to the indictment.

Mamdani said after the attempted bombing last month that "violence at a protest is never acceptable."

"The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are," the mayor said at the time.

Trump admin to hold global summit on countering Antifa, sources confirm

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:41:34 -0400

The Trump administration is considering hosting a summit focused on countering Antifa and other left-wing extremist networks, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Planning remains in the early stages. No date has been set, a State Department official told Fox News.

The potential summit comes as the administration ramps up its focus on what officials describe as transnational anarchist and Marxist groups, particularly those operating in Europe.

Some counterterrorism experts have disputed the characterization of Antifa as an organized group, arguing it operates more as a decentralized movement rather than a formal network, according to Reuters.

OVERSIGHT DEMANDS DOJ ANSWERS ON FOREIGN FUNDING OF AGITATOR GROUPS AS IRAN, ANTI-ICE PROTESTS CONTINUE

"The anarchists, Marxists, and violent extremists of Antifa have waged a terror campaign in the United States and across the Western world for decades, carrying out bombings, beatings, shootings and riots in service of their extreme agenda," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. "The State Department is committed to identifying and dismantling these terror networks that conspire to ruthlessly suppress the will of the people and violently topple the very foundations of the United States and Western Civilization."

Officials said recent efforts have focused on designating foreign groups tied to anarchist and left-wing extremist activity under U.S. counterterrorism authorities.

A State Department official explained to Fox News that each designation "is focused on a specific foreign organization that has engaged in terrorism or retains the capability and intent to engage in terrorism, while threatening Americans and/or U.S. national security."

The official pointed to recent designations targeting four organizations in Europe, including groups based in Germany, Italy and Greece that authorities said use violence against perceived political opponents.

SCATHING REPORT REVEALS ANTIFA-LINKED ORG PASSING OUT MATERIAL TO K-12 STUDENTS: 'POLITICAL REVOLUTION'

Under U.S. law, such designations trigger a range of measures, including freezing assets, restricting travel and enabling criminal prosecution for those who provide material support.

The State Department has also flagged specific incidents tied to Antifa-aligned groups, including a recent explosive attack in Rome attributed to members of the Informal Anarchist Federation, or FAI.

"These groups have engaged in organized acts of violence, and the United States will not hesitate to use its counterterrorism authorities to disrupt them and cut off their ability to access financing or operational support, just as with any other terrorist threat," the official said.

Officials emphasized the importance of coordination with allies, noting that many of the networks operate across borders.

The administration has framed the push as part of a broader effort to combat global terrorism, including actions targeting groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, as well as transnational criminal organizations.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"The United States will continue to push for strong, coordinated action to identify, monitor and disrupt violent groups, including left-wing extremist networks like Antifa-aligned organizations active in parts of Europe and the Western Hemisphere," the official said.

Pentagon leaders award 2 Purple Hearts to Old Dominion cadets who took down ISIS supporter

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:57:25 -0400

The Army’s top civilian and enlisted leaders awarded eight Meritorious Service Medals and two Purple Hearts to Old Dominion University ROTC cadets who stopped the March 12 gunman later identified by the FBI as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former National Guardsman convicted in a case tied to support for the Islamic State.

In a private ceremony this week, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer honored the cadets for their actions during the attack inside an ROTC classroom, according to U.S. Army Cadet Command on Facebook. The cadets’ names were withheld for privacy.

Federal authorities have said the cadets subdued and killed Jalloh after he opened fire, killing military science professor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, 42, and wounding two others during their class at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.

One cadet was hospitalized in critical condition, while the other was treated and released after the deadly melee.

STRING OF ATTACKS CONNECTED TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS RAISES NATIONAL SECURITY QUESTIONS

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who are wounded, killed or die from wounds received in combat, while a prisoner of war, or in action against an enemy force.

The Meritorious Service Medal is the noncombatant service equivalent of the Bronze Star.

It has not been made clear how many students were in the class at the time of the shooting, which the FBI has described as an act of terrorism, hailing the cadets’ intervention to prevent additional casualties.

"There were students that were in that room that subdued him, and, uh, rendered him no longer, uh, alive," according to Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI's Norfolk field office, in news conference remarks that raised an outpouring of American pride on social media.

SOROS-BACKED DA SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER BLAMING OLD DOMINION SHOOTING ON PRO-GUN LAWMAKERS: 'F--- RIGHT OFF'

"I don't know how else to say it," Evans said. "They basically were able to terminate the threat."

They heroically did so without guns.

Jalloh "was not shot," she added, as reports indicated the cadets killed the ISIS-linked assassin by stabbing him to death.

VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH SELLING WEAPON USED BY OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY GUNMAN

Jalloh's ability to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the U.S. during President Donald Trump's military strikes on Iran occurred after he had been released early by President Joe Biden's Justice Department despite his conviction on terrorism-related charges.

Jalloh had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and had been released from federal custody in December 2024 to mere supervised probation, which failed to prevent the attack.

He was released about 2 1/2 years early after completing a drug treatment program, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.

It was not clear how Jalloh qualified for the program, which allows inmates to shave up to a year off their sentences. Inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses typically are not eligible for such programs or other sentence-reducing credits.

DEM-BACKED 'SOCIAL JUSTICE' LAW PUT VIRGINIA'S ODU CAMPUS AT RISK BEFORE ATTACK, FORMER AG ARGUES

Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said less than 10 minutes passed between when officers were called about a shooting in the university’s business school building and when responders determined the shooter was dead.

"The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote March 12 on X.

Three members of the U.S. Army ROTC program at Old Dominion were wounded, including one who died. Jalloh also had served. The naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone was a specialist with the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Shah, 42, was the university’s professor of military science and a former ODU ROTC cadet who returned in 2022 to lead the program.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GOP whip: ‘America-hating terrorists’ should lose citizenship under SCAM Act

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:19:17 -0400

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer says a string of recent terrorist attacks by naturalized citizens exposes serious flaws in U.S. immigration law, arguing it's "more imperative now than ever" to pass the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act to allow the government to remove "America-hating terrorists" from the country.

First introduced by Emmer in January, the SCAM Act would expand the U.S. government’s ability to revoke citizenship from naturalized citizens convicted of being involved in terrorism, fraud or espionage. The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

"This has to be dealt with," Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, told Fox News Digital.

"If you're going to take advantage of the generosity of Americans, or you are going to associate with known terrorist organizations or commit aggravated felonies or terrorist attacks, even attempted, it doesn't matter; no more playing games," said Emmer. "You should be denaturalized and shipped back to wherever the heck you came from."

HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY REPUBLICAN URGES US MUSLIM LEADERSHIP TO 'ISOLATE EXTREMISTS' AFTER STRING OF ATTACKS

He lamented that under current law, "the standards to denaturalize someone are just too high," but noted, "we have a solution to fix it."

The bill, which on the House side currently sits in the House Judiciary Committee, allows prosecutors to use crimes committed after naturalization as evidence that an individual falsely claimed good moral character during the citizenship process, effectively arguing their citizenship was invalid from the start.

The SCAM Act already has nearly 50 House co-sponsors, according to Emmer. Once it is scheduled for a vote, he believes it will not have an issue passing and may even receive some bipartisan support from Democrats recognizing the gravity of the issue.

"It's really simple," he said. "The message is, terrorists do not belong on U.S. Soil, naturalized or not."

STRING OF ATTACKS CONNECTED TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS RAISES NATIONAL SECURITY QUESTIONS

At the start of March, Senegalese-born naturalized citizen Ndiaga Diagne was killed by police after allegedly killing three people and injuring more than a dozen in a shooting in Austin, police said.

Not long after, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, the children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan, allegedly pledged support to ISIS and attempted to bomb an anti-Islam demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City, according to police. They have been charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, and multiple explosives-related offenses including transporting, receiving and possessing destructive devices.

Then, on March 12, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue filled with children and teachers, according to authorities.

The same day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, allegedly opened fire on a class of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, according to police. He also was killed at the scene.

"Clearly something is broken in our immigration system," said Emmer, adding that terrorists "keep getting into our country and they keep being allowed to stay here at the expense of Americans and American lives."

"We can't go on like this," he went on, emphasizing, "It is more imperative now than ever that we get this thing done."

EX-JIHADIST WARNS OF PREDATORY RECRUITMENT AFTER ISIS-INSPIRED BOMB PLOT IN NEW YORK CITY

Despite this, Emmer has faced some opposition in Minnesota for his hardline stance.

Local outlet MPRNews reported a community activist leader in his district named Abdikadir Bashir, who is executive director of the nonprofit Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization, accusing Emmer of "trying to erase us politically."

"The moment citizenship becomes conditional on whether a politician finds us convenient, none of us is safe," Bashir said, according to the outlet. "Today, it might be the Somali Americans. Tomorrow, it could be another ethnic group."

Though he declined to hazard a guess on a timeline of when the bill might be passed, he said that "as soon as possible would be my plea."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"We have an immigration system that is not requiring these people to actually declare their allegiance to the United States of America and their willingness to be Americans," he said.

"We want anybody and everybody from anywhere who comes here to chase their American dream and become an American … we want you," he concluded. "If you come here and you don't intend to become an American, you intend to change America or destroy America, you need to get the heck out."

House Homeland Security Republican urges US Muslim leadership to 'isolate extremists' after string of attacks

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:14:51 -0400

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., issued an open letter calling upon Muslim leadership in the U.S. to condemn a spate of recent attacks in the country, arguing that their silence "legitimizes the concerns of millions of Americans" about Islam.

He specifically indicated that the message was directed toward "Mosques, Imams, and Muslim Religious Leaders Across the United States."

In the letter, Ogles, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, ran through a list of four recent incidents being investigated as acts or potential acts of terrorism on U.S. soil, and then declared, "To this day, zero American mosques have publicly condemned this pattern of Islamic bloodshed and disavowed the attackers. This silence legitimizes the concerns of millions of Americans that Islam requires such violence."

HOUSE CONSERVATIVE UNVEILS BILL TO END CHAIN MIGRATION, SCRAP DIVERSITY VISA IN SWEEPING IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL

"I challenge America's more than 3,000 mosques to publicly and unequivocally condemn these specific attacks, disavow the perpetrators, reject any religious justification for terrorism, and state clearly that murdering innocents or targeting houses of worship has no place in Islam or America," he wrote.

Ogles specifically pointed to four incidents, including the March 1 shooting in Austin, Texas, the March 7 attempt to detonate explosives near Gracie Mansion in New York City, a March 12 attack in which the perpetrator rammed a vehicle into the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and opened fire, and a March 12 shooting episode at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Viriginia.

AUSTIN MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT AVOIDED FELONY IN 2022 CASE, MISDEMEANOR LATER DISMISSED AFTER PLEA DEAL: DOCS

"Issue statements from your pulpits, post them online, and share them widely. America is watching. Your voices can isolate extremists, protect Americans, and preserve peace," Ogles said in his message.

"I stand ready for dialogue with leaders committed to this. However, if no such peace is desired, I will not cease to further legislate and advocate that violent Islamists have no place in American culture, life, and civil government," he wrote.

REPUBLICAN SAYS ‘MUSLIMS DON’T BELONG IN AMERICAN SOCIETY,' DRAWS FIERCE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Ogles asserted in a post on X last week that "Muslims don't belong in American society," and "Pluralism is a lie."

FBI director ticks off terror threats foiled by agents

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:45:14 -0400

FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday said the bureau thwarted four terrorist attacks across the U.S. last December — including three inspired by ISIS — by tracking suspects both online and in person.

Patel was testifying at the Senate Intelligence Worldwide Threats hearing on Capitol Hill when Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked about what measures the FBI was taking to stop foreign terrorist organizations from recruiting and influencing Americans online.

Patel testified that foreign terrorist organizations, including ISIS, have become "all the more powerful" by moving their recruitment capabilities online.

"What we have done is extended and expanded resources to environments like the Threat Screening Center, which allows us to collect biometric capabilities from all over the world," Patel said, noting double-digit increases in those resources and the bureau’s intelligence production.

FBI DISRUPTS ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED NEW YEAR'S EVE ATTACK PLOT TARGETING NC GROCERY STORE, FAST FOOD RESTAURANT

Patel said the FBI has also increased its manpower to detect such threats online.

"But what we've also done in the [counterterrorism] space specifically is expand the number of agents and intel analysts that go online and detect based on our biometric capabilities and intelligence that we have from the interagency," he said.

4 INDICTED IN FOILED NEW YEAR'S EVE TERROR BOMBING PLOT TARGETING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BUSINESSES

Patel said that led the bureau to foil four terrorist attacks in California, Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania in December. He said three of those attacks were inspired by ISIS.

"We were able to detect these individuals, both online and in person, using our covert platforms," Patel said. "And we shuttered a bombing campaign in Southern California and two mass casualty events for New Year's Eve."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Patel testified at the Senate hearing alongside Defense Intelligence Agency Director James Adams, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Acting Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command William Hartman and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

New video shows terror suspect tackled after allegedly throwing bomb at NYC protest outside mayor's residence

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:18:36 -0400

New video shows the moment one of the accused terror suspects was tackled to the ground after allegedly throwing a homemade bomb during a protest in New York City.

Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, and 18-year-old Emir Balat are accused of throwing live explosive devices into a protest taking place outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Gracie Mansion residence on March 7, after driving from Bucks County to Manhattan, according to federal officials.

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

The new video shows Balat being tackled by an NYPD officer while Chief Aaron Edwards nearby yelled, "Get him." An individual could be heard yelling "bomb" after Balat was tackled to the ground.

In a criminal complaint, prosecutors said a series of pictures shows the men handling the alleged bomb, which was determined to have contained TATP in addition to nuts and bolts that were attached with duct tape.

SEND US A TIP HERE

When speaking to law enforcement, Balat allegedly said he wanted the planned attack to be "bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing."

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the homemade bombs were real and capable of causing serious injury or death, adding that the incident is being investigated as terrorism.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"This is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism," Tisch said.

Balat allegedly wrote and signed a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State after being taken to a precinct station, according to federal prosecutors.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

"All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State," Balat allegedly wrote. "We take action."

During a search of a self-storage unit connected to the terror investigation in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, the FBI said "explosive residue" was located.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

"Yesterday’s search of the storage unit believed to be connected to the Gracie Mansion incident revealed explosive residue. FBI Special Agent Bomb Technicians and the local bomb squads conducted a controlled detonation to ensure the safety of law enforcement and others in the area. We’re thankful for the assistance of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office and the local Middletown and Newton agencies who assisted our office throughout the night," FBI New York posted on X.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

On March 2, Balat appears to have bought a 20-foot roll of fuse from Phantom Fireworks in Penndel, Pennsylvania, according to video obtained by Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

String of attacks connected to naturalized citizens raises national security questions

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:41:07 -0400

The United States is left vulnerable even by its own naturalized U.S. citizens from hostile foreign lands, proving a free country can be exposed to security risks by the very freedoms the Constitution endows, an expert warned on Fox News.

"That's partially because of legal reasons: They can't just monitor constitutionally protected free speech and opinions after they become a naturalized citizen, indefinitely, just to keep tabs on them," Mauro Institute president Ryan Mauro told Fox News on Saturday.

"They legally can't do it, and they also don't have the resources to do it."

Just this month alone, the U.S. has experienced four attacks with ties to naturalized citizenship.

TULSI GABBARD WARNS OF 'DIRECT THREAT' FROM SUSPECTED TERRORISTS NOW LIVING IN UNITED STATES

March 1 – Austin, Texas, bar shooting
March 7 – New York City attempted bombing (parents of suspects were naturalized citizens)
March 12 – Old Dominion University shooting
March 12 – West Bloomfield, Michigan, synagogue attack

The U.S. Customs and Immigration Services told Fox News Digital in a statement Monday that it "has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who lies or misrepresents themselves during the naturalization process."

"Under the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is protecting public safety by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens," USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser wrote in a statement. "We have paused decisions on immigration benefits for aliens from high-risk countries.

"We have established a new vetting center to better respond to emerging threats. We are directing our officers to consider country-specific risks, such as lack of identity documents or criminal background checks and review applicants for anti-American and antisemitic activity.

NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT URGES DHS TO RAISE TERROR THREAT LEVEL, WARNS OF SLEEPER CELL RISKS IN US

Mauro had warned Saturday that terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. are playing a deadly game of can you top this.

"There's a bit of a jihad olympics going on, which is where you have the Sunni radicals like ISIS competing with the Shiite radicals of the Iranian regime because they need attention in order to survive and in order settle the argument of who has Allah's blessing so that they can trigger the apocalypse," Mauro said.

"That's what they both want to do," Mauro said.

The process of citizenship revocation has been a hotly debated topic during the second Trump administration, and the spate of four terror attacks amid the latest Israel-U.S. war on Iran may increase scrutiny on the vetting process.

"A person is subject to revocation of naturalization if the person becomes a member of, or affiliated with, the Communist party, other totalitarian party, or terrorist organization within five years of his or her naturalization," the U.S. Grounds for Revocation of Naturalization reads.

ODU GUNMAN WHO KILLED ROTC INSTRUCTOR HAD PRIOR ISIS CONVICTION, WAS RELEASED EARLY

Mauro's institute is not constrained by federal law in vetting potential terrorist ideology of naturalized citizens like the Justice Department is, he noted.

"That's why I personally have set up a civilian intelligence team that does do that type of thing," Mauro said. "And why we've been so successful is because whereas the government has to be very careful not to launch investigations based off of just a mere suspicion or an unpopular opinion, civilians are free to comb through social media and just find people and report them."

U.S. freedoms even protect suspected terrorists, he added.

"If they do come across someone who is expressing support for a terrorist organization, it still gets tricky," he lamented. "You would think, oh, at that point you can revoke it and just get rid of the people because that would make sense, but the question is membership and affiliation.

"I mean, there'll be a lot of headaches just over those words. At what point does it go from, oh, I agree with them, versus actually being affiliated with them as like a unit?"

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Under Trump, the USCIS is bolstering its counterterrorism efforts, with "record numbers of new homeland defenders, proposed tougher screening for employment authorization, and have begun to onboard special agents to investigate and prosecute immigration violations," Tragesser told Fox News Digital.

"The citizenship test has been revised for a more meaningful assessment, and neighborhood investigations have been restored to verify eligibility and loyalty to the United States," his statement concluded. "We will not take any shortcuts that put our communities at risk and are working with the Department of Justice to ensure that only those who meet citizenship standards retain the privilege of U.S. citizenship. The safety of the American people always comes first."

With dogs, dance and uncovered hair, Iranians defy 'unholy alliance' of socialists, radicals: ‘Hypocrites!’

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:05:56 -0400

"You’re hypocrites!"

The shout cut across H Street NW last week as about 500 Iranian Americans supporting regime change in Iran marched toward a smaller group of pro-China socialists gathered two blocks away across from the White House, backing the radical clerics leading Iran.

"We are here for freedom of Iran," Jay Gorbani, an Iranian American, explained as he held his Labradoodle puppy, Bella, while other members of a fledgling group, the National Solidarity Group for Iran, marched by.

"We are against the religious mafia regime of Iran."

The far-left activists they confronted had assembled under bright green and yellow signs pulled out again this weekend that said, "STOP WAR IN IRAN." But the organizers aren’t simply "peace" activists, a Fox News Digital analysis of scores of pages of communications by protest organizers revealed.

Fox News Digital has identified at least 75 organizations that have protested in support of the regime in Iran since the war began, including 50 organizations that are far-left, Marxist, socialist or communist; 22 that are Muslim organizations that support Islamism, or political theocracy; and the remaining three that are socialist-Islamist adjacent.

They parrot the pro-regime messages that the Chinese Communist Party has expressed in recent days as China sends military equipment to Iran, according to national security experts.

Last weekend, they coordinated demonstrations in 63 cities across 29 states and Washington, D.C., using identical signs, chants and protest infrastructure, which are available now in a digital toolkit, and they are replicating the protests this weekend and in the coming days.

The main organizers are funded by an American-born tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who is based in Shanghai, and lawmakers in the House Ways and Means Committee and House Oversight Committee have accused the network of promoting the interests of the People’s Republic of China.

Singham didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.

The Singham-funded network includes the People’s Forum Inc., the ANSWER Coalition, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, CodePink Women for Peace and the Palestinian Youth Movement, which has helped organize these protests.

The Democratic Socialists of America, which helped elect Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, also co-sponsored the protests. The organizations didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Global defiance

The confrontation in the nation’s capital reflects a broader struggle unfolding not only in Iran but also in the West.

From Phoenix to Dallas, Indianapolis, Toronto and Manchester in the U.K., members of the diaspora are increasingly challenging far-left activists they accuse of amplifying propaganda that favors the clerical rulers Islamic Republic.

This weekend, Gorbani and other Iranian Americans took to the streets again. They argue their advocacy for a secular democracy — and rejection of Islamism, or theocracy — offers the strongest response to rising acts of extremism by Muslim ideologues.

In recent days, incidents of violence in Austin, Texas; New York; and Norfolk, Virginia, have been punctuated by shouts of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great."

‘Unholy alliance’

These tensions reflect a political dynamic with deep historical roots.

In 1965, Time magazine published an article, "Unholy Alliance," bluntly describing "the Communists and fanatical Moslems" working together to oppose Iranian leader Shah Reza Pahlavi’s efforts to "modernize and Westernize Iran" as a secular democracy.

Time quoted Pahlavi warning of "an unholy alliance between two extremist wings," communist revolutionaries that he called "unpatriotic, destructive Reds," and radical Muslims, many wearing black robes, turbans and headscarves.

"This is the very familiar, what we call, unholy alliance between the black and the red that is the communists and the very reactionary people or strata. We always see it because they are both against the progress and happiness of the country," Pahlavi said years later.

It's an alliance now called the "red-green alliance," with green symbolizing the color of Islam.

PROTESTERS HOST QUDS DAY RALLY IN NYC: "SHAME, SHAME USA!"

‘Freedom for Iran’ v. the regime

Last weekend, an Iranian American woman with another nascent group, DCProtests4Iran, faced off against women in black robes from the Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia, where mosque leaders support the Iranian theocracy. Her hair loose in the wind, she flashed a "V" for victory and shouted, "Down with the Islamic regime!"

Staring down H Street NW at the socialists, Reza Rezavi, an engineer from Rockville, Maryland, and a volunteer with DCProtests4Iran, said his group supports Pahlavi’s son, Reza Pahlavi, as the leader of a new transitional government that would realize a "democratic Iran."

"Freedom for Iran!" screamed another Iranian American woman, holding her Lhasa Apso dog, Cocoa, rescued in 2019 from Tehran, where the regime has ruled dog walking illegal in many cities.

At protests from London to Washington, D.C., Iranian diaspora activists say they are confronting far-left groups they accuse of stealing democracy from them dating back to 1979, when they defended radical clerics who came to power in 1979, overthrowing Pahlavi.

"It’s cultural warfare," said Paul Mauro, an attorney, former New York Police Department counterterrorism inspector and a current Fox News contributor.

"Marxism is probably the most malevolent single idea ever devised," Mauro said. "And our culture has now become infected with a tolerance for Marxism that is being translated into a very dangerous political energy that is working with Islamists to undermine America as we know it."

‘Would you like a sign?’

LIke clockwork, members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition and other socialist organizations had arrived at 2:28 p.m. last weekend at the corner of 16th and H Street NW. One woman sipped an iced coffee, while another pulled a red wagon piled with megaphones. A third pushed a grocery cart filled with a marching drum and fluorescent yellow signs that said, "STOP THE WAR ON IRAN!"

A young woman dragged a dozen or so signs, asking, "Would you like a sign? Sign? Anyone like a sign?"

Tourists looked away as far-left activists, including CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and DC coordinator Olivia DiNucci arrived with a new protest banner. Ignoring the approaching crowd of Iranian Americans, Benjamin posed for a photo with Korean Americans who support China, Iran and North Korea’s communism.

Soon, the group broke into familiar anti-American chants heard at protests for years, but this time they were muffled by the chants of the Iranian protesters, chanting, "USA! USA!"

Asked about Singham’s funding of the protest's socialist sponsors, Benjamin said, "I’d rather not talk about it."

Dancing in the streets in defiance

Minutes later, the Iranian American groups rounded the corner from L Street NW and stopped about 200 yards from the far-left activists on 16th Street NW. They blasted Iranian music and danced.

In defiance of strict interpretations of Islam, families walked pet dogs near Bella and Cocoa as women shouted with their hair in the wind, and men and women freely danced beside each other to Iranian pop music, acts mostly banned in Iran. The scene stood in defiance of the strict religious rules imposed by Iran’s clerics, who have barred pet dogs, forced women to cover their hair and suppressed music, dancing and dissent.

An Iranian American woman smiled and slowly raised her middle finger at the socialist activists, their chants of "Down, down with the USA," drowned out by music blaring in Farsi.

Across the police line, field marshals from the Party for Socialism and Liberation corralled elementary-aged girls swaddled in black headscarves to the microphone, filming them close up as the children stumbled over their words, reading chants from a phone as activists egged them on.

When a girl got in the shot, the field marshal filming the canned chanting tried to shoo her away.

"Those people are supporting terrorists," said one Iranian American with the reform-era Iranian flag draped over his shoulder like a cape that featured a lion emblem. "We are against them."

"We do not support the regime," said Siamak Aram, an organizer with the National Solidarity Group for Iran, as Iranian Americans marched behind him, chanting, "USA! USA!"

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital's Azziana Solomon contributed to this report.

Ex-jihadist warns of predatory recruitment after ISIS-inspired bomb plot in New York City

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:54:50 -0400

A former jihadist turned counterterrorism operative warns that a lethal ideology is turning American teenagers into ISIS-inspired "superheroes."

Mubin Shaikh was radicalized at age 20 but was later deradicalized and became a counterterrorism operative in Canada. After the recent terror attack in New York City, he explained the predatory nature of extremist recruiters.

"It's like drug dealing. You give them something that they're [going to] get high off of. A kid who’s looking for a sense of meaning, belonging, purpose, identity," Shaikh said on "Saturday in America."

"He’s a zero in real life, and he goes online, and suddenly he’s Abu Jihad, a superhero. He’s from zero to hero overnight."

HERO NYPD OFFICERS HONORED FOR FOILING ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR PLOT NEAR GRACIE MANSION

On March 7, two teenagers allegedly attempted to use improvised explosive devices at a demonstration outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home, Gracie Mansion.

Eighteen-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi traveled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan to hurl explosive devices into a crowd, according to the Justice Department.

The incident is being investigated as "ISIS-inspired terrorism" after one of the suspects reportedly wrote and signed a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State, according to federal prosecutors.

Shaikh explained that ideology combined with grievances is what stirs young people to act. He described purpose and identity as a product being sold by jihadist recruiters.

CNN’S ABBY PHILLIP WRONGLY CLAIMS NEW YORK CITY ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR ATTACK WAS ‘AGAINST’ MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI

Shaikh noted the United States has fought other countries in the past, including Vietnam and Japan, yet there is no generation of young people "out to kill Americans."

"They don't have an ideology that tells them, ‘Hey, these attacks are occurring because you're Muslim. This is the reason why. And they hate you because of your identity and your religion. And that's why you got to lash out and attack them back,’" he said.

MYSTERIOUS CALLS PLACED FROM NYC TERROR SUSPECT FAMILY'S HOME HOURS AFTER ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED ATTACK

Shaikh added that young people can quickly be radicalized online, far from the Middle East. He recalled his counterterrorism work against the "Toronto 18" in Canada, noting those young people had been fueled by what they saw online.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"They had been watching all these jihadi videos online of these guys training. And, so, now it's life imitating art because now you're seeing those videos, now I want to replicate those videos," he added.

According to New York prosecutors, Balat told investigators he wanted to carry out an attack "bigger" than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which resulted in the deaths of three people and hundreds of injuries. Both suspects face up to life in prison.

BROADCAST BIAS: Networks hide the ‘M’ word after Muslim terror attack

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:00:16 -0400

Journalists inside our broadcast networks have a sensitivity to any criticism of radical Islam, bred by their loathing of conservatives. The term "Islamophobia" is on their lips when anyone recalls anything from 9/11 to people chanting, "Death to America." When a violent or potentially event unfolds, they’re hoping the assailant isn’t Muslim, as happened after an attempted terror attack this week.

When Muslim Army doctor Nidal Hasan shot up Fort Hood in 2009, killing 13, Newsweek’s Evan Thomas proclaimed on televised pundit roundtable: "I cringe that he’s a Muslim. I mean, because it inflames all the fears. I think he’s probably just a nut case. But with that label attached to him, it will get the right wing going." NPR’s Nina Totenberg chimed in: "It really is tragic that he was a Muslim."

That reflex certainly applied to the March 7 protests outside Gracie Mansion, where New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani lives. Two Muslim teenagers turned up at an anti-Islam protest with homemade bombs, and the broadcast networks were extremely reluctant to describe them with the "M word."

On Saturday’s "World News Tonight," on ABC, anchor Linsey Davis was brief, describing "two people arrested after a suspicious device went off during an anti-Muslim protest here in New York. The protests outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence, prompting counter-protesters to show up as well. Two were arrested for allegedly throwing what is believed to be a smoke bomb. No injuries reported." Thrown by whom? The anchor didn't specify. And it certainly didn't turn out to be a "smoke bomb." It was a potential mass casualty event.

CNN BOTCHES NEW YORK TERRORIST ATTACK COVERAGE, FORCED TO ISSUE MULTIPLE CORRECTIONS

On Sunday morning, ABC’s "Good Morning America" was even vaguer, with Gio Benitez reporting, "the FBI’s joint terrorism task force is now investigating suspicious devices thrown during a protest as possible acts of terrorism." Here again, it's a maddeningly passive phrasing of "devices thrown." Thrown by whom?

Later in the show, ABC’s Janai Norman recounted: "Police say two suspicious devices were found. Jars filled with nuts, bolts and screws, and a hobby fuse. They say one protest of about twenty people was organized by far-right, anti-immigrant figure Jake Lang. About 125 people were part of the counter-protest."

So, one side is "far-right" and "anti-immigrant," and the other can’t be identified with an ideological or religious affiliation. That report was so vague you might think the Lang group threw the bombs.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS ON MAMDANI OVER REPORTS HIS WIFE LIKED PRO-OCTOBER 7TH POSTS: 'THIS IS WHO THEY ARE'

NBC "Sunday Today" host Willie Geist at least seemed to get the targeting right: The "incendiary devices" had been thrown "towards a small group of anti-Islam protesters led by a right-wing influencer."

On Sunday night’s "CBS Evening News," anchor Jericka Duncan again meandered around it: "Tonight, the FBI is investigating two men after an explosive device with bolts and screws was thrown into a crowd. It happened in New York City on Saturday during a protest that turned violent outside the mayor’s official residence." Who turned it violent?

CBS reporter Shanelle Kaul identified Mamdani as a Muslim, but not the assailants. They were just "two men," she repeated. Viewers could get a clue when the teens were identified as Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, but Kaul blamed the incident on the "anti-Islam demonstration led by Jake Lang … a pardoned U.S. Capitol insurrectionist who has frequently sought out political confrontations in the months after President Trump gave him clemency." Lang served four years in prison after wielding a baseball bat on January 6.

SUSPECT IN NYC TERROR PROBE PLANNED ATTACK 'BIGGER THAN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING,' PROSECUTORS SAY

On Monday morning, ABC’s Aaron Katersky again tagged right-wing extremists. The bombs were thrown "during the chaotic, dueling protests that were started by far-right provocateur Jake Lang under the banner, ‘Stop the Islamic takeover of New York City’ that Mamdani denounced as ‘rooted in bigotry and racism.’" Katersky then added the bomb plotters "told investigators they had watched ISIS propaganda videos and were there to defend Muslims."

On Monday’s "Today" program on NBC, reporter Sam Brock relayed that "both men allegedly made pro-ISIS statements during their arrest," but Brock tied the crowds to WABC’s "polarizing talk show host" Sid Rosenberg for calling Mamdani "a jihadist, before later apologizing." So, it’s not "polarizing" or "bigoted" to favor ISIS and want Jews dead?

It didn’t improve as the story unfolded. CNN had to pull down a ludicrously florid tweet on Monday about the bomb-plotters, that "Two Pennsylvania teenagers" could have come to New York "for a normal day enjoying the city’s abnormally warm weather." This inspired a wave of satires.

On Tuesday night, CNN primetime host Abby Phillip — followed minutes later by commentator Ana Navarro — wrongly suggested the target of the bombs was Mayor Mamdani. CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere also wrongly tweeted Mamdani was a target. So much for "Facts First" CNN.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

By Wednesday night, Phillip offered a rare on-air correction. On Wednesday’s "CBS Evening News," anchor Tony Dokoupil offered a story on "two heroic New York City Police officers who were just steps away from a smoking improvised bomb on Saturday, an attempted terror attack, according to the FBI." Jericka Duncan told the story of Aaron Edwards and Luis Navarro jumping into the breach to prevent a deadly bomb explosion.

Duncan explained, "Chief Edwards says the path to this moment started with the 9/11 attacks." Edwards said, "I saw just police and first responders rushing to save people, and that inspired me to take the test." But even in this cop-honoring story, the angle of Islamic radicalism just hung in the background. The "M-Word" didn’t emerge.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

These cringing journalists have long assumed that Americans (and especially conservatives) aren’t bright enough to think with nuance, that there are many innocent Muslim Americans who have no motivation toward or connection to terrorism. That’s why they have to skip over troubling facts.

That bias by omission extends to Mayor Mamdani’s record of extremist sentiments on Israel, and recent reports that Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji "liked" social-media posts celebrating the slaughter of innocent civilians by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The broadcast networks skipped that, endorsing the mayor’s spin that she’s a "private person." These two are somehow not "far-left" or "bigoted" or extremist.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM TIM GRAHAM

Pennsylvania men accused of ISIS-inspired bomb attack on NYC protesters near mayor's mansion: timeline

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 06:00:57 -0400

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — Two young men from Pennsylvania are accused of driving to New York City with a pair of homemade bombs before throwing them at protesters and police officers on March 7.

Both devices failed to detonate. Police arrested both men at the scene. They were identified as Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both described by the FBI as supporters of the Islamic State terror group.

Prosecutors say they brought the devices to target a protest outside the mayor's home, Gracie Mansion, in Manhattan.

SUSPECT IN NYC TERROR PROBE PLANNED ATTACK 'BIGGER THAN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING,' PROSECUTORS SAY

Here's a timeline of events:

Monday, March 2:

Surveillance footage obtained by Fox News Digital appears to show Balat purchase a 20-foot roll of fuse from Phantom Fireworks in Penndel, Pennsylvania. The purchase was made just two days after the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and killed dozens of top leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

WATCH: Surveillance video appears to show NYC terror suspect buying fuse in Pennsylvania

"The single item purchased was a 20-foot length of consumer fireworks safety fuse," Phantom Fireworks Vice President and General Counsel William Weimer told Fox News Digital. "The total spend was $6.89 including tax."

The same type of fuse would later be recovered during a search of a vehicle in Manhattan.

SEND US A TIP HERE

Saturday, March 7:

In the street outside Gracie Mansion, about 20 people joined a protest organizers dubbed "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City: Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer." A counterprotest titled "Run the Nazis out of New York City: Stand Against Hate" drew about 125 more.

The two sides clashed, leading to at least one arrest before the attack.

MYSTERIOUS CALLS PLACED FROM NYC TERROR SUSPECT'S FAMILY HOME HOURS AFTER ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED ATTACK

Video appears to show Balat emerge from behind a counterprotester at about 12:15 p.m. and throw the first device near the intersection of 87th Street and East End Avenue.

Although it smoked, the explosive compound inside did not go off, saving people nearby from metal and glass shrapnel packed inside.

Another video appears to show Kayumi handing a second alleged IED to Balat, who allegedly lit it and dropped it at the feet of a group of police officers. Officers arrested him after it failed to detonate.

"After being apprehended by NYPD officers, both Balat and Kayumi stated they were aligned with ISIS," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement.

Hours after the arrests, someone at Kayumi's home called law enforcement multiple times. The first two calls were placed at 4:15 p.m. and 9:19 p.m. Saturday. A third came just before 9 p.m. Sunday. Authorities have not released additional details.

Two NYPD members, Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro, were later honored by city leaders for their heroism.

Sunday, March 8:

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that the bomb squad's preliminary investigation had found "an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death."

She added that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) was assisting with the case and made no mention of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose wife Rama Duwaji has been accused of "liking" social media posts promoting Hamas' Oct. 7 2023, terror attacks against Israel, blasted protest organizer Jake Lang on X by name in a post about the failed bombing.

"White supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City," he wrote. "It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are."

He went on to condemn "violence" without mentioning the suspected terror motive.

"What followed was even more disturbing," he wrote. "Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are."

He also thanked the NYPD officers on scene for their quick response, years after calling for the department to be dismantled in another X post.

Separately, police located a parked vehicle registered to one of Balat's relatives parked near Gracie Mansion. Inside, they allegedly found additional explosive materials and handwritten notes with references to "TATP," the volatile compound police said was used in the IEDs.

Monday, March 9:

FBI bomb technicians found "explosive residue" at a Pennsylvania storage unit allegedly connected to Balat and Kayumi. They conducted a controlled detonation.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation—our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest."

The SDNY also announced federal charges against the suspects and released new details about their alleged support for ISIS.

"All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds!" Balat wrote after being given a pen and paper following his arrest, according to the FBI. "I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B."

Kuffar is an Arabic term referring to non-Muslims.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kayumi allegedly told police he watched ISIS propaganda on his phone and was partly inspired by the terror group.

Balat and Kayumi face up to life in prison on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosives and unlawful possession of destructive devices.

GOP lawmakers would strip citizenship from terrorists after attacks tied to naturalized citizens

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:29:19 -0400

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced plans Thursday to introduce legislation allowing the U.S. to denaturalize and deport naturalized citizens who commit or support terrorism after a recent string of attacks involving immigrants who obtained citizenship.

On Thursday, Moore called out the "horrific pattern" of naturalized citizens committing acts of terror against the American people, saying it "must end."

Moore announced he will be introducing a bill in Congress to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terror, plots to unleash terror, joins a terrorist group or otherwise aids and abets terrorism.

Almost immediately, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., vowed to support the bill.

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY ROTC CADETS DISARM ISIS SUPPORTER SHOUTING 'ALLAHU AKBAR' DURING SHOOTING: OFFICIALS

This week, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue filled with children and teachers. The same day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, opened fire on a class of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.

Days before, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, the children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan, allegedly attempted to bomb an anti-Islam demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City. At the start of the month, Senegalese-born naturalized citizen Ndiaga Diagne killed three people and injured over a dozen in a shooting in Austin.

After this week’s attacks, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., renewed his call to pass another bill known as the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act.

Schmitt is the Senate sponsor of the bill, which, if passed, would expand and clarify grounds for denaturalization if an individual participates in fraud against a government program, joins a terrorist organization or is convicted of an aggravated felony or espionage.

The bill was introduced in the House in January by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., amid widespread outrage over the rampant Medicaid and children's services fraud scandal, which heavily involved the Somali immigrant community.

TRUMP WARNS OF IRANIAN 'SLEEPER CELLS' AS CANADA IS ACCUSED OF HARBORING REGIME OPERATIVES

On Thursday, Schmitt posted on X that "after the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans. We must denaturalize those who shouldn't be here."

Under current laws, the U.S. government may strip citizenship from a naturalized individual only in very limited circumstances, such as when it was obtained through fraud. There is also a very high standard of proof on the government to show that fraud occurred during the process of obtaining citizenship.

The SCAM Act, however, would expand the government’s ability to denaturalize, allowing it to revoke citizenship from a person who engages in terrorism, commits fraud, commits espionage or commits felonies within 10 years of becoming a citizen.

WE'RE IN DANGER OF MORE TERROR ATTACKS — AND THIS IS THE MOST INDEFENSIBLE PART OF IT ALL: SEN TED CRUZ

In another post, Schmitt emphasized "we need to give the Trump admin the SCAM Act. Under current law, it is practically impossible to denaturalize these terrorists."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

He said the SCAM Act "will allow the Trump admin to denaturalize and deport those who should never have been granted citizenship in the first place."

Virginia Democrats dig in on DHS funding line despite ISIS-linked shooting at ODU, illegal immigrant murder

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 10:00:59 -0400

Virginia’s Democratic senators aren’t budging from their position against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without reforms despite a deadly shooting involving a suspect with links to ISIS.

Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., have both consistently voted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their colleagues against the GOP’s attempts to reopen the agency in their push for stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Senate Republicans have warned of the necessity to reopen DHS out of concern about an increase in terrorist activity in the U.S. after Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS MOHAMED JALLOH, FORMER NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER, ISIS SUPPORTER

That became a reality Thursday when the FBI announced it was investigating a shooting at Old Dominion University that left one person dead and two others wounded as an act of terrorism after identifying the alleged shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard who was convicted of supporting ISIS.

Kaine argued that Senate Democrats have repeatedly tried to reopen chunks of the agency, either through a bill that carved out funding for ICE and CBP or through standalone funding bills that Republicans have blocked.

"Senate Democrats have repeatedly moved to fund — and Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked — TSA, CISA, the Coast Guard and other entities within DHS that help keep us safe," Kaine said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

'YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT': TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER

Warner said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he was "heartbroken by the loss of Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah" and lauded the Old Dominion University students who subdued Jalloh.

But he pointed the finger at FBI Director Kash Patel for playing a role in the incident and demanded that Patel "answer for how the FBI lost track of a known, convicted terrorist sympathizer who was then able to get his hands on a gun and murder an American citizen."

"Following Director Patel’s mass firings of experienced FBI agents and counterterrorism experts, this tragedy emphasizes serious concerns about whether his leadership has left Americans more vulnerable to threats," Warner said.

DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT

Separately, the lawmakers panned ICE's handling of Abdul Jalloh, who was charged with the murder of Virginia resident Stephanie Minter earlier this year.

When asked if Virginia counties should have cooperated with ICE to detain Jalloh, an illegal immigrant with a rap sheet of 30 arrests dating back to 2014, Kaine countered, "How about ICE cooperating with counties?"

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"ICE had this guy repeatedly and let him go," Kaine said. "And, so, should counties do more? Yeah, but what about ICE? Why would ICE, beginning in, like, 2017, 2018 — and that was during Trump’s presidency — not take cases like this seriously?"

Warner called Minter's murder a tragedy and said, "No one can doubt the fact that somebody who has been arrested 30 times should not be in this country."

Armed FBI agents carry out search warrant believed to be in connection to synagogue attacker

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:41:21 -0400

Armed FBI agents executed a search warrant at a home in Michigan overnight Thursday, believed to be in connection with the synagogue attacker who rammed a vehicle into a Jewish house of worship earlier in the day.

Video shows agents outside a brick home in Dearborn Heights, a city in Wayne County, using a long battering tool to break a front window before making entry. Law enforcement told WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit they were conducting a search warrant.

The raid came hours after a suspect rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, a large Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, around 12:20 p.m. local time.

MICHIGAN SYNAGOGUE ATTACK SUSPECT IDENTIFIED, ENTERED US ON SPOUSE VISA FROM LEBANON: DHS

The suspect, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly rammed the synagogue and opened fire at security guards with a rifle, authorities said. Armed security returned fire and shot him dead.

During the incident, the vehicle caught fire, filling the building with smoke. All staff and 140 students were evacuated, FOX 2 Detroit reported. It remains unclear what ignited the flames.

FOX 2 Detroit reported that a chemical agent was found inside the truck, indicating a possible explosive device. Authorities have not identified the substance.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, while FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi said FBI personnel and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.

TRUCK CAUGHT ON CAMERA PLOWING INTO FAMED AUSTRALIAN SYNAGOGUE IN ALLEGED HATE CRIME

Henry Ford Health said at least eight first responders were treated at the hospital.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said one security guard was struck by the suspect’s truck. In a later update, he said roughly 30 officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after entering the building.

The mayor of Dearborn Heights said in a social media statement that the suspect reportedly lost several family members in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.

"Earlier today, we learned that the individual responsible for the incident that took place at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield was a resident of Dearborn Heights. He died at the scene," Mayor Mo Baydoun said.

"Earlier this month, he lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon."

Baydoun condemned the attack and urged residents to remain vigilant, "especially as we gather during these sacred final days of Ramadan."

Multiple law enforcement sources and federal authorities said the suspect entered the United States as the spouse of a U.S. citizen roughly 15 years ago during the Obama administration and was granted citizenship in 2016.

Ghazali, born in Lebanon on Jan. 4, 1985, entered the U.S. through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, on an IR1 immigrant visa, according to DHS.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

He later applied for naturalization in October 2015 and was granted U.S. citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016.

Local media outlet The Detroit News reported that Ghazali worked in Dearborn Heights.

Schumer silent on ending DHS shutdown after deadly shootings hit Michigan, Virginia

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:52 -0400

A pair of shootings on Thursday, one involving a suspect linked to ISIS, has Republicans sounding the alarm to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while Democrats dig further into their position.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus again blocked a full-year funding bill for the agency, as well as multiple attempts to provide temporary funding, on Thursday. Just as the vote ended and as lawmakers fled Washington, D.C., an active shooter incident at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., erupted.

The suspect died in a shootout with police in that incident. Meanwhile, another shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia with a suspect previously imprisoned for supporting ISIS led to one person killed and two others injured.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital, "At some point, the consequences, impacts of not funding DHS are real."

DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT

Senate Republicans have tried and failed three times to pass full-year funding for the agency, and Thune noted that it had been two weeks since Schumer and Democrats responded to the latest compromise offer from the White House.

When asked if the latest shooting could make Democrats budge, he said, "I’m not sure."

"But it’s a dangerous game and people are going to get hurt," Thune said.

'YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT': TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER

The funding impasse has caused the agency to be shuttered for nearly one month, with little hope in Congress that a deal can be reached soon. Republicans have warned that because of President Donald Trump's war on Iran, there could be increased threats in the U.S. that DHS would have to handle without proper funding.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., blasted Schumer and Democrats for continuing their blockade and accused them of trying to "peel apart" DHS.

"They are so beholden and detached to the far-left component of this nation that they don't care about everybody else," Barrasso said. "We've had terrorist attacks right here in the homeland — two in the last two weeks."

KATIE BRITT BLASTS DEMOCRATS FOR PLAYING 'POLITICAL GAMES' WITH SHUTDOWN AMID AIRPORT CHAOS

Democrats spent much of Thursday trying to fund the agency one piece at a time in a bid to carve out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for which they have sought stringent reforms that Republicans say go too far.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment on whether the latest shootings would change his calculus on the shutdown, but it did not immediately respond.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Instead, Schumer released a statement on the synagogue shooting that did not mention the agency or the funding battle.

"Antisemitism is not theoretical. It is real, and it is deadly," Schumer said. "In solidarity with good-thinking people everywhere, it must be faced head-on, denounced and defeated. Every one of us has a responsibility to not just stand up against this pernicious hate, but to fight it wholeheartedly, no matter where it comes from."

Sen Schmitt reups push for expanding denaturalization after recent acts of violence by naturalized citizens

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 23:17:25 -0400

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., on Thursday renewed the push for his bill to expand the denaturalization process for people who commit fraud, serious felonies or join terrorist organizations.

Schmitt brought up his legislation, the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act, after a naturalized citizen originally from Lebanon allegedly rammed his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and a naturalized citizen originally from Sierra Leone allegedly opened fire at Old Dominion University in separate incidents on Thursday in the latest violent attacks in the U.S. committed by naturalized citizens.

"After the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans," Schmitt said on X, referring to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require voters in federal elections to prove citizenship by providing a photo ID and other documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate.

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS MOHAMED JALLOH, FORMER NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER, ISIS SUPPORTER

"We must denaturalize those who shouldn't be here," the senator continued.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, was shot and killed by security officers on Thursday after driving through Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit before the vehicle caught on fire, according to authorities.

Ghazali arrived in the U.S. 15 years ago on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and was granted citizenship in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security said.

PAXTON DEMANDS STRICTER VETTING AFTER DEADLY TEXAS RAMPAGE BY SUSPECT WHO WAS NATURALIZED CITIZEN

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, served in the Virginia National Guard from 2009 until he received an honorable discharge in 2015. Previously convicted of attempting to offer material support to the Islamic State, Jalloh reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University on Thursday, killing one person and wounding two others. The gunman was also killed.

In another incident earlier this month, a shooting was carried out outside a bar in Austin, Texas, by a naturalized citizen, Ndiaga Diagne, 53, who was born in Senegal, leaving three people dead and more than a dozen wounded.

Schmitt's SCAM Act was originally introduced in January in response to allegations of fraud by Somalians in Minnesota.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"American citizenship is a privilege, and anyone hoping to be a part of our great nation must demonstrate a sincere attachment to our Constitution, upstanding moral character, and a commitment to the happiness and good order of the United States," he said at the time.

"People who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations like drug cartels shortly after taking their citizenship oaths fail to uphold the basic standards of citizenship," the lawmaker added. "They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place. We must protect and restore the institution of American citizenship."

NYPD heroes, inspired by 9/11, ran toward danger as suspected terrorists targeted NYC

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:15:13 -0400

Two veteran NYPD officers say it was "instinct" that led them to charge toward smoldering improvised explosive devices during a suspected terror attack near Gracie Mansion last weekend.

NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro ran toward danger when 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi allegedly threw explosives into a crowd. A photo that later went viral captured the moment Edwards leaped over a police barricade in pursuit of one of the ISIS-inspired suspects.

"They say when you're a cop, no two days are alike, but this was like no other day," Edwards told Fox News Thursday. "We just immediately began running towards this threat."

Both officers joined the force after the 9/11 terror attacks. Navarro said there was no time to think, only a drive to protect the public.

CNN REPORTER DELETES POST FALSELY CALLING MAMDANI ‘TARGET OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE’ IN LATEST FOUL-UP

"I went straight on instinct. There was nothing that I could have thought about. There was no moment there where I could just say, hold on, slow down time, and just wait and see what I have," said Navarro.

ISIS-INSPIRED NYC BOMB SUSPECTS COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY, EX-FBI AGENT SAYS

"I just know that as soon as, you know, the event started unfolding, I needed to save as many people as I could," he added.

The officers are being hailed as heroes for their bravery. Former NYPD Chief John Chell joined "Fox & Friends" on Thursday to praise the duo alongside retired Lt. Joe Cardinale and Blue Lives Matter co-founder Joe Imperatrice.

"It's not a normal thing to run towards IEDs, and the chief, the sergeant… [and] all those cops converged to save people, and it was selfless act of bravery," Chell said Thursday.

"They're all heroes. And thank God, those IEDs did not explode because they would have lost their lives, and that's where people have to understand."

HERO NYPD OFFICERS HONORED FOR FOILING ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR PLOT NEAR GRACIE MANSION

Other officers converged to contain and apprehend the pair before the devices could detonate. Their actions helped secure the area and take the suspects into custody before anyone was injured.

"It's a great look for the NYPD. It's good for recruitment," Cardinale said of the officers.

"We hope it inspires others to get out there. The job needs that right now. They need heroes like this."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Imperatrice pointed out that incidents like the attempted bombing highlight the everyday risks officers face, even when the outcome doesn’t end in tragedy.

"People don't realize that at the end of the day, this is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, and when officers leave their homes, they may not come home. So we shouldn't just need an incident like this that goes on the news to start respecting our cops, which should be happening every single day."

Pirro warns terrorists 'we're coming for you' after alleged Benghazi attack leader finally arrested

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 20:00:39 -0500

U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro said the U.S. would never stop seeking justice for Americans killed by terrorists after the arrest of Zubayr Al-Bakoush, who is alleged to be one of the leaders of the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

"The American cavalry never came, to our disappointment, in 2012," Pirro said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend."

"We're coming for you now. We've got him. We've got a lot more coming," she added.

US BLOCKS 10K NARCO-TERRORISTS AS TERROR WATCHLIST SWELLS BY 85K IN 2025

She slammed then-President Barack Obama for not bringing consequences for Al-Bakoush and the others responsible for the attack that left four Americans dead.

"The president said we did everything we could. They didn't do everything they could. Americans watched in horror as four Americans are being killed, not by peaceful protests that went awry," she said.

On Sept. 11, 2012, a terror attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, left four dead. A group of assailants armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades and other weapons, stormed the compound and began shooting, setting fires and breaking into buildings.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO SHOWS BENGHAZI TERROR SUSPECT ARRESTED AND IN FBI CUSTODY IN DC

Pirro claimed that the Obama administration at the time knew immediately that the attack was a coordinated assault and not a protest that spiraled out of control, as was widely reported at the time of the event.

She questioned why more was not done to protect the Americans on the ground, like flying F-16s overhead to disperse the crowd or sending a rapid response team that she claimed could have arrived in a few hours.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Benghazi was the most dangerous place on earth for Americans, and they put them there without protection. And they lied to us on the Sunday morning talk shows. They lied to us in Congress... It was only through President Trump that we're now going to get some kind of justice," Piroo said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Al-Bakoush was charged with murder, terror and arson, all related to the 2012 attack.

Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf, David Spunt, Jake Gibson and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

4 indicted in foiled New Year's Eve terror bombing plot targeting Southern California businesses

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:52:17 -0500

Four individuals have been federally indicted in connection with a foiled New Year’s Eve bombing terror plot in Southern California, according to the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Court documents state that the group planned attacks on multiple businesses and also initiated plans to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following the holiday season.

Prosecutors allege that the individuals are associated with the anti-government extremist group Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), whose members glorified terrorism and aimed to do "as much damage as possible."

Authorities identified the defendants as Audrey Illeene Carroll, Zachary Aaron Page, Dante James Anthony-Gaffield and Tina Lai in the alleged bombing plot, referred to by the group as "Operation Midnight Sun." The members face varying charges including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and possessing unregistered firearms.

FBI ARRESTS FOUR ALLEGED MEMBERS OF RADICAL PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUP ACCUSED OF PLOTTING NEW YEAR’S EVE BOMBINGS

Court documents said the four individuals were planning on detonating pipe bombs targeting at least five locations, including technology and logistics businesses, across Southern California.

Throughout early December 2025, the defendants allegedly took steps to procure bomb-making materials and used encrypted messaging platforms to coordinate the construction and testing of explosive devices.

FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 350 SUBJECTS TIED TO VIOLENT ONLINE ‘764’ NETWORK

Authorities reported that Carroll, through encrypted messaging, made alarming statements including "I identify as a terrorist," "I am a Hamas fangirl" and had goals of "completely pulverizing" buildings. She allegedly denounced peaceful protests while discussing fantasies of ambushing law enforcement agents.

The terror plot was reportedly foiled on Dec. 12, when the defendants traveled to the Mojave Desert to conduct live weapons testing but were abruptly intercepted by members of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team.

Officials said that despite the defendants’ efforts to avoid detection — such as wrapping phones in tinfoil to create "makeshift Faraday bags" and using apps that automatically delete encrypted messages — law enforcement was able to intercept their plans with the help of informants and undercover agents.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Authorities stated that defendant Carroll had unknowingly shared the group’s bombing plans with law enforcement assets. Through this, the FBI reportedly obtained copies of handwritten bombing plans, lists of required bomb-making materials, and information about the group’s extremist messaging network.

Defendants Carroll and Page also allegedly discussed plans they intended to carry out after the New Year’s Eve bombings, including targeting ICE agents and vehicles in order to intimidate and harm law enforcement, according to court documents.

All four defendants are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court in the Central District of California.

Foreign terror labels curb ISIS, but US radicals face fewer limits online, study finds

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:54 -0500

Extremist groups in America are exploiting social media’s chaos and cashing in on it, as violent rhetoric spreads faster than platforms can contain it, according to a new report and security experts who warn the problem is no longer limited to foreign terrorist networks.

A study from New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, titled "Digital Aftershocks: Online Mobilization and Violence in the United States," found that violent Islamist groups’ shrinking online presence shows how terrorist designations, when paired with platform enforcement, can push extremists into smaller corners of the internet, successfully limiting their recruitment and propaganda.

But that same legal framework doesn’t apply to domestic extremist movements, creating what the report calls an "enforcement asymmetry" that allows far-right, far-left, nihilistic groups and antisemitic networks to thrive on mainstream platforms.

ONLINE ‘GORE’ FORUMS ARE ‘GATEWAY TO EXTREMISM’ IN MASS SHOOTINGS, NORMALIZING HORROR FOR KIDS: EXPERTS

Dr. Casey Babb, terrorism professor and director of the Promised Land Project with Canada’s Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told Fox News Digital that policymakers already have the authority to curb homegrown extremism.

"Despite the First Amendment, and, of course, some of this is in a gray zone, but not all speech is protected," Babb said. "There are already tools there that enable policymakers, law enforcement, intelligence agencies and so on to crack down on domestic extremists." "Statements that are intended to provoke unlawful action, incitement, that’s not protected speech. Or statements where the person making [them] intensely communicate[s] some sort of intent to commit an unlawful act or violence, or says something that could be perceived as a legitimate threat, that’s not protected."

READ THE REPORT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE

DAVID MARCUS: DEMOCRATS MUST STOP THEIR DEADLY ANTI-FASCISM COSPLAY

The NYU report mirrors that frustration, concluding that the U.S. has "ample tools" to confront extremism but applies them unevenly. It found that when foreign terrorist designations restrict groups like al Qaeda and ISIS, their online reach collapses.

"The ability to designate organized nations and individuals as terrorist entities is a very useful tool," Babb said. "It’s a tool that policymakers should really lean into and think about, possibly modernizing and reforming to better address a lot of what we’re seeing domestically."

Babb said extremists are "learning from one another," adopting propaganda and recruitment methods once pioneered by Islamist organizations.

"Groups like ISIS, al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood were some of the early adopters of these platforms," he said. "They recognized many, many years ago the power of these social-media outlets to recruit, to disseminate harmful messaging and to really undermine the populations that they target."

STUDENT ARRESTED AFTER DISRUPTING DAVE PORTNOY’S PIZZA REVIEW WITH ANTISEMITIC RANT CAUGHT ON VIDEO: POLICE

He also blamed social-media companies for enabling the spread of hate.

"There’s frankly no reason that I should be seeing much of what I’m seeing online," Babb said. "Free speech is one thing; giving a platform for nefarious state and non-state actors to spread divisive language deliberately with the intent of dividing Americans and endangering certain minorities, that’s something else entirely. These platforms reward outrage and they reward divisive content. A lot of people are monetizing this."

"You shouldn’t be making thousands of dollars a month by spreading the same messages that Adolf Hitler or Yahya Sinwar would spread," he added.

WATCH: Trump takes Antifa fight abroad with foreign terrorist designation

President Trump once floated designating Antifa a domestic terrorist group, an idea Babb believes deserves renewed attention.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Designation opens a whole suite of tools," he said. "It makes adversaries’ lives much more difficult."

The Digital Aftershocks report concludes that U.S. policymakers and tech platforms must coordinate more aggressively to combat online extremism.

Harvard Medical School explosion suspects unmasked by feds as details surface on social media trail

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 17:26:33 -0500

Two Massachusetts college students allegedly plotted and carried out an explosion using a "large commercial firework" inside a Harvard Medical School laboratory, federal authorities said.

Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne, were arrested and federally charged in an alleged conspiracy to damage a building on Harvard Medical School’s (HMS) campus using a large commercial firework.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, both men face one count of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive, the Goldenson Building at the Ivy League university, a facility that houses neuroscience research labs.

The two were arrested Tuesday morning and appeared in federal court in Boston Tuesday afternoon. They have a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 24.

FBI ARRESTS 2 MEN IN CONNECTION WITH HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL EXPLOSION

According to the federal complaint, Patterson and Cardoza were allegedly visiting the Wentworth Institute of Technology campus for Halloween activities and were seen together on Oct. 31 and into the early hours of Nov. 1.

According to an FBI affidavit, surveillance cameras captured the pair walking toward the HMS campus at approximately 2:33 a.m. wearing face coverings and dark clothing. Moments later, video allegedly shows them igniting what appeared to be "Roman candle-style fireworks," before continuing toward campus.

About 10 minutes later, they were allegedly seen climbing over a chain-link fence into a construction area surrounding the Goldenson Building, and, minutes later, scaling scaffolding beside the structure to access the roof.

At 2:45 a.m., a fire alarm sounded after an explosion inside a fourth-floor research lab in HMS’s Department of Neurobiology. Investigators later determined a "large commercial firework" detonated inside a wooden locker.

Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Boston, said the suspects’ actions could have led to serious injuries.

"This explosive device had the potential to cause significant injury to anyone nearby — but only by sheer luck, and because of a rapid response by first responders, no lives were lost, no one was injured and property damage was limited," he said.

READ THE COMPLAINT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE

Between 2:45 and 2:50 a.m., Patterson and Cardoza were allegedly seen visiting the fifth floor before exiting the building and fleeing in opposite directions.

According to prosecutors, surveillance video captured Cardoza minutes later sitting on a bench, removing his pants and throwing them in a garbage bin.

Patterson was seen back on the nearby Wentworth campus around 3:09 a.m., running between buildings and charging his phone, authorities said.

At approximately 3:40 a.m., Patterson reportedly met up with Cardoza and a third individual, and the trio were seen walking toward the Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus. In the video, Patterson had removed his sweatshirt and sweatpants, while Cardoza was still wearing a dark hooded jacket and black sneakers.

Witnesses later identified the two men as Patterson and Cardoza, saying that they had been visiting Wentworth for Halloween events.

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL EXPLOSION SUSPECTS ON THE RUN, POLICE SAY IT'S SAFE TO RETURN TO CAMPUS

The FBI affidavit also cites the suspects' public Instagram accounts, linking the pair together prior to the incident.

"Open-source research indicates that Patterson and Cardoza each maintain an Instagram account. The profile photograph currently used for both of these accounts is the same photograph of Patterson and Cardoza with three other young males," the filing states.

The accounts, reviewed by Fox News Digital, display an identical profile picture, consistent with the image cited in the affidavit.

Both social media accounts include a small number of public posts showing high school graduation scenes, sports and spending time with friends.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Both men were charged with conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive, property owned or used by an institution receiving federal funding.

Fox News' Molly Line contributed to this report.

Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting inspired ISIS-linked Halloween terror plot: court docs

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:57:14 -0500

A thwarted Halloween terror attack in suburban Detroit was partially inspired by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, according to court documents.

That attack began as an active shooting and evolved into a barricade situation with hostages. It left 49 dead and 53 wounded, in what authorities at the time called the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

According to the FBI, two 20-year-old men from Dearborn, Michigan, and a juvenile accomplice were allegedly plotting to similarly shoot up one or more clubs in Ferndale, a nearby community known for its LGBT nightlife.

SUSPECTS IN FOILED HALLOWEEN TERROR PLOT PICTURED PRACTICING AT MICHIGAN GUN RANGE: FBI

Mohmed Ali, Majed Mahmoud and a juvenile identified under the alias "Athari" scouted Ferndale in September as part of a plot to shoot up Americans they dubbed "pumpkin," according to court documents.

The scouting trips were particularly suspicious to investigators because none of the suspects are over 21 years old, ruling out legitimate visits to bars or clubs.

There were about 300 people in the Pulse nightclub when Omar Mateen barged in and opened fire around 2 a.m. on June 12, 2016. Many of them, but not all, were part of the local LGBT community, according to authorities.

During an hours-long standoff, Mateen dialed 911 and a local news station, swearing allegiance to ISIS in both calls.

FBI THWARTS 'POTENTIAL TERRORIST ATTACK,' ARRESTS MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN MICHIGAN, PATEL SAYS

SWAT team officers killed him at around 5:15 a.m., breaching a wall and exchanging gunfire after hostage negotiations failed.

As the FBI was surveilling the suspects in the Michigan plot, agents intercepted messages claiming that Ali and Athari would "do the same thing as France" and that their alleged attack was "probably going to be at like a club, a disco."

Ali and Mahmoud are being held without bail until at least next Monday, when they are due in federal court in Detroit for detention hearings.

The FBI executed search warrants Friday on the two men's homes and a storage unit they shared, seizing multiple semiautomatic rifles, a shotgun, handguns, tactical gear and more than 1,600 rounds of 5.56 ammunition.

MAN LINKED TO HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL INDICTED IN LOUISIANA FOR CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT TERRORIST GROUP

Agents also recovered surveillance video showing Ali and other alleged conspirators at a Michigan gun range, where they are accused of practicing shooting in preparation for the foiled attack.

According to an FBI affidavit, the conspirators drew inspiration from the Pulse shooting and the 2015 coordinated terror attacks in Paris, France, which killed 137 and injured more than 400.

In Michigan, the suspects also sought advice from the father of a local "Islamic extremist ideologue," according to the FBI affidavit, allegedly seeking religious approval for the plot.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

They also allegedly discussed choosing a date that would be celebrated by subsequent radical Islamic terrorists.

Lawyers for Ali and Mahmoud declined to comment.