Eight suspected terrorists with potential links to the Islamic State group have been arrested.
The eight -- from the central Asian nation of Tajikistan -- were swept up in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, NBC reported, citing sources it did not name.
They were being tracked by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force radar and were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Thesuspects all crossed into the United States through the southern border, where they were "fully vetted" and nothing in their backgrounds was noted as suspicious, according to Fox News, which cited a federal source.
NBC reported that at least two men entered the country in the spring of 2023.
Information that became available after they were released, including one individual's ties to terrorism, alerted authorities to begin surveillance, Fox reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the case an example of how President Joe Biden's "open border policies endanger the lives of Americans."
Joe Biden’s open border policies endanger the lives of Americans.
He’s letting in dangerous criminals and people with ties to terrorist organizations like ISIS.
We need a president who will put national security FIRST. https://t.co/Be4kdtMaRA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 11, 2024
The FBI urged ICE to arrest the suspects on immigration charges due to concerns of potential connections to the Islamic State group, NBC reported, citing its sources
The suspects will appear before an immigration judge and could face terrorism charges later, NBC reported.
“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities," the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said in a joint statement.
Disturbing news: 8 suspected terrorists with possible ISIS ties were arrested in New York, L.A., and Philadelphia after crossing our southern border. This emphasizes the urgent need for robust border security.
Under the Biden administration, our national security is at risk. We… pic.twitter.com/unRvr9YkSr
— Pat Harrigan (@PatHarriganNC) June 12, 2024
"The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the statement said.
According to the New York Post, citing sources it did not name, a wiretap that was part of the investigation indicated that the individuals arrested were talking about bombs.
“Remember the Boston marathon [bombing]? I’m afraid something like that might happen again or worse,” the Post quoted one of its sources as saying.
The Post said its sources indicated the target of the wiretap had been released at the southern border and given a court date for next year.
Suspected ISIS operatives entering the U.S. through the open border. This has long been happening in the EU: the majority of the Bataclan attackers entered the bloc disguised as refugees https://t.co/KcRaa2Pde4
— Bojan Pancevski (@bopanc) June 12, 2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in April that the Islamic State Khorasan, often called ISIS-K, was emerging as a potential threat. The group conducted an attack in Russia this spring that killed 133, according to Fox.
The Post reported that, over the weekend, about 10,000 illegal immigrants entered the U.S. through the southern border, according to Border Patrol data.
