A nationwide operation conducted by federal law enforcement authorities resulted in the apprehension of a group of Russian nationals who are suspected of having ties to terrorism. Over the course of the past week, six Russian nationals, believed to be associated with ISIS, were arrested in a well-coordinated sting operation that took place in major cities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
The initial report of these arrests was made by the New York Post, and it was Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who carried out the arrests after being alerted by the FBI.
“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities,” read a joint statement from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “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 continued. “As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”
Following the recent arrest of a Russian individual, it was discovered through a wiretap that he had conversations about bombs, as reported by the NYP. This person had been previously released by immigration authorities at the southern border and was scheduled for a future court appearance, but it was later revealed that he may have connections to ISIS.
The apprehension of this individual comes amidst an ongoing crisis at the southern border, where millions of illegal immigrants have entered the country during President Joe Biden’s administration. Consequently, there has been a significant increase of over 2,500% in suspected terrorists entering the U.S. compared to the previous administration. In April, news emerged that Mohammad Kharwin, a 48-year-old Afghan, had unlawfully entered the country in 2023 and resided in the U.S. for about a year before being arrested for his alleged links to Hezbo-e-Islami, also known as HIG, a designated terrorist group by the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security emphasized in a press release that the country remains in a “heightened” threat environment and encouraged the public to report any suspicious activities.
