Eight suspected terrorists from Tajikistan were arrested across the country over the weekend. The arrests occurred in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
According to a report from NBC News, the eight illegal immigrant terrorists that were arrested have suspected connections to ISIS and had crossed into the US over the southern border. The suspects had been on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force radar and were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, three people familiar with the matter told the outlet on Tuesday.
8 men from Tajikistan with possible ISIS-K ties were arrested in American cities.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 11, 2024
At least one of the men used the CBP One app to get into the US in spring 2023. Another crossed at the same time. A senior government official told NBC News that the FBI was monitoring the group for several months to keep tabs on their activities. The CBP One app is used by illegal immigrants to obtain permission from the federal government to travel to the US and obtain an appointment to apply for asylum at the border and obtain a court date. No official papers or identification are needed to set up a profile on the CBP One app.
“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities,” the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in a joint statement. “The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
The eight suspected terrorists have not been charged with a terror plot. However, the FBI told ICE that they needed to be arrested because of their connection with the terrorist group.
Two people who spoke to the outlet said the information gathered to make the arrests of the suspected terrorists was also used to arrest a Uzbek man in Baltimore reportedly connected to ISIS. The arrests are just a few suspected terrorists that have used the southern border for entry into the US. As of late May, 81 suspects on the terror watchlist were known to have attempted to illegally cross the border into the US.
