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Alleged ISIS Recruiter Arrested After Making Bomb Threat Against University Of Houston During Zoom Lecture

(AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Marlo Safi Culture Reporter
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A Texas man accused of being an ISIS recruiter was arrested after allegedly making a bomb threat against the University of Houston (UH) during a Zoom lecture, a Justice Department statement said Tuesday.

Ibraheem Ahmed Al Bayati, 19, was accused by federal authorities of joining a Sept. 2 UH student lecture on Zoom and allegedly interrupting the call by asking “What does any of this have to do with the fact that UH is about to get bombed in a few days?”

Al Bayati allegedly identified himself as Abu Qital al Jihadi al Mansur and said in Arabic that the “Islamic State will remain,” referring to the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria. He then repeated the phrase with a raised index finger. (RELATED: Self-Proclaimed ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Charged With Conspiracy And Attempting To Provide Material Support To A Foreign Terrorist Group)

He was arrested Friday and told investigators the incident was a joke conjured up by him and a friend. Al Bayati is a U.S. citizen who lives in Richmond, Texas, about 30 miles southwest of Houston, according to KHQ.

Al Bayati also allegedly sought out ISIS supporters online and helped an individual make a “pledge” to the terrorist group. Al Bayati reportedly said he was known as an ISIS recruiter, according to the statement. 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of making threats or conveying false information to destroy by means of fire or explosives. He also faces a maximum of five years for making a threat over interstate commerce.