West Philadelphia teenager charged in terrorism probe

A West Philadelphia teenager is facing charges after he allegedly communicated with members of a Middle Eastern terrorist organization and purchased materials to assemble a bomb, authorities said Monday.

Officials have not identified the 17-year-old boy due to his age, though District Attorney Larry Krasner said prosecutors will seek to have the case moved into the adult court system. An FBI SWAT team apprehended the suspect Friday at a home on Woodbine Avenue in Wynnefield.

FBI Special Agent Jacqueline Macquire, who leads the bureau’s Philadelphia office, said authorities had been monitoring the teen and decided to move quickly after bomb technicians determined he had gathered enough chemicals and other materials to build an improvised explosive.

“Some of these purchases had just occurred in the last few weeks,” Macquire said Monday. “This was now a situation where we believed public safety was at risk.”

The boy also had access to a “significant number” of guns, Macquire added. He had been in contact through social media with a group linked with al-Qa’ida and was also exploring the possibility of traveling overseas, according to investigators.

Krasner referred to the suspect as “an aspiring terrorist” who posed a threat to Philadelphia, the nation and even those in other countries.

He has been charged with manufacturing or possessing weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, reckless endangerment and other crimes. The teen’s legal representation could not be identified Monday.

Authorities declined to answer many specific questions about the case during a news conference, citing an ongoing investigation.

However, the DA’s Office said messages were exchanged on Instagram in March and April between the suspect and an account tied to Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a group the White House designated as a terrorist organization last year.

KTJ operates primarily in Syria and has carried out a number of attacks, including the 2017 bombing of a subway train in St. Petersburg, Russia, that killed 14 people, according to the U.S. Department of State.

The teen’s WhatsApp account also featured banners belonging to ISIS and the Chechnya-based Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs’ Brigade as profile pictures, prosecutors said.

Last week, FBI agents watched the suspect purchase materials commonly used to make explosives, and they also found electric wiring in his trash, according to the DA’s Office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection records showed 14 shipments of military and tactical gear to the teen’s address, authorities said.

In addition to the house in Wynnefield, federal agents searched a second residential location, Macquire said, though she declined to provide additional details.