Jordanian who planned large antisemitic attacks faces 15 years in prison

According to a police source speaking with CNN, Abuayyash had been ‘plotting to attack a Jewish gathering.’

By JNS

The trial of Sohaib Abuayyash, 20, got underway in Houston on Monday. He is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien, and faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

FBI Director Chris Wray said during congressional testimony in October that the FBI had arrested a man—later identified as Abuayyash—who “had been studying how to build bombs and posted online about his support for killing Jews.”

Abuayyash came to the United States in 2019 on a tourist visa. After it expired he requested asylum, claiming to be a Jordanian citizen.

The defendant’s order of detention, which kept him in custody until his trial, stated he supported radical groups, viewed bomb making materials, called for killing “individuals of particular religious faiths” and referred to a Houston religious group’s event as a potential terror target.

According to a police source speaking with CNN, Abuayyash had been “plotting to attack a Jewish gathering.”

During jury selection, lawyers quizzed potential jurors on their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and gun rights.

Abuayyash has pleaded not guilty.