BREAKING: Mississauga Man Pleads Guilty to Alleged Terrorist Plot to Attack New York City

 

A 19-year-old Mississauga man has pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges revolving around a plot to attack New York City.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently released this document detailing the charges.

According to the documents, Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy was one of three people arrested in connection with an international plot to carry out attacks in the city for ISIS in the summer of 2016.

The planned attacks, which the Justice Department says were thwarted by law enforcement, included the detonation of explosive devices in Times Square and the NYC subway system and shooting civilians at specific concert venues.

The other men facing charges include 19-year-old U.S. man Talha Haroon and 37-year-old Russell Salic, who is a citizen of the Philippines.

The Justice Department says that, communicating through Internet messaging applications, the three men allegedly plotted to conduct bombings and shootings in heavily populated areas of New York City during the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan in 2016, all in the name of ISIS

El Bahnasawy reportedly purchased bomb-making materials and helped secure a cabin within driving distance of NYC to use for building the explosive devices and staging the attacks.

The Department says Haroon (who currently lives in Pakistan) allegedly made plans to travel from Pakistan to New York City to join El Bahnasawy in carrying out the attacks, and traveled within Pakistan to meet with explosives experts. Salic allegedly wired money from the Philippines to the United States to help fund the operation.

El Bahnasawy was arrested on May 21, 2016 in New Jersey and pled guilty on Oct. 13, 2016. His guilty plea was unsealed today.

He remains in custody and will be sentenced on Dec. 12.