FBI arrests Philadelphia teen, says he was talking to terrorists, buying bomb materials

A 17-year-old Philadelphia boy has been charged after federal officials say he talked to global terrorist groups on social media and bought materials used to make explosives.

The teen, who was not named, was charged with weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, and reckless endangerment, among others, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Monday.

“I think it’s very fair to say that lives were saved because of this investigation,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said in the release.

Communications

The FBI arrested the teen at his home in Philadelphia on Friday after they say they found an Instagram account linked to the teen that was in communication with the Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ). The FBI believes that the group is responsible for the April 2017 attack on St. Petersburg, Russia that killed 15 people and the 2016 suicide car bombing that injured three employees at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The teen communicated with the account in March and April of this year, federal officials say.

The FBI also found a WhatsApp account linked to the teen’s phone number that had a profile photo of a banner of Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs, a Chechnya-based terrorist group, the release said.

The WhatsApp profile photo was changed to an ISIS banner on Aug. 6.

The FBI "potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in the news release.

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Explosive materials

The FBI said the teen received messages about building improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and bought materials, including chemical cleaners, used to build the homemade bombs, the release said. 

The FBI said they saw the teen buying the materials on Aug. 7 and found electric wiring used to build the explosives in his trash.

The next day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear were sent to the teen’s address, according to the release.

A warrant for the teen’s arrest was approved on Friday.

The FBI also searched two other people who were close to the teen.