A Lebanese migrant was arrested by border patrol in El Paso, Texas March 9 after he confessed to being a Hezbollah member, the New York Post reported.
Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was apprehended after he admitted to being a Hezbollah member with intentions to build a bomb in New York. During his custody, Ebbadi revealed his plan when asked about the reason why he was in the US. “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” he allegedly said according to a Border Patrol document, the New York Post stated.
In a detailed interview, Ebbadi explained he left Lebanon and Hamas because he didn’t want to take lives. He also talked about his long time with Hezbollah, where he spent seven years in training aimed at non-Muslims and four years protecting weapon storage areas, the outlet stated.
Illegal migrant from Lebanon told border authorities he’s a Hezbollah terrorist and hoped ‘to make a bomb’ in US https://t.co/ADuy2s0D7n pic.twitter.com/ICqSaUlOsM
— New York Post (@nypost) March 17, 2024
Ebbadi faced many problems on his way to the US, like getting robbed in Costa Rica and using fake names in different countries. Still, he wanted to get to New York and see more of the US, the outlet added. The authorities are treating Ebbadi’s bomb threat very seriously. They have isolated him and scheduled an interview with the Tactical Terrorism Response Team (TTRT). They are also deciding which country to send him back to. (RELATED: Teen Allegedly Sent 7 Bomb Threats to Schools, Believed Minor Status Would Prevent Charges: Cops)
Ebbadi’s arrest happens at a time when more migrants on the terror watchlist are trying to enter the US illegally, raising concerns about national security, the New York Post reported. There’s been a big jump in these cases, with 172 in 2023 and 59 in just the first four months of 2024, a lot more than the 30 from 2017 to 2021.
“This underscores the need for border security measures as potential threats to both public safety and national security are evident and exploit security vulnerabilities,” Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told the New York Post. “The federal government has failed to enact border security measures, and the state of Texas, through Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, will continue to take unprecedented action to help secure the border.”