Hasher Jallal Taheb had been under investigation by the FBI as part of a sting operation after local authorities reported concerns about him becoming radicalized last March, according to a criminal complaint filed in the federal court in the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta on Wednesday.
In a meeting with the informant and an undercover FBI agent on Dec. 2, Taheb allegedly stated that “they could do more damage” in the U.S. because abroad they would be “one of many.” He also allegedly said that he wanted to be a “martyr” and cause as much damage as possible, the complaint states.
On Dec. 7, Taheb allegedly showed the undercover operative a hand-drawn diagram of the White House’s West Wing in a composition notebook and asked for help with obtaining weapons and explosives for the attack, the complaint states.
“He said the group would fight to the end and make it a big bang,” according to the document.