Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested today based on a federal complaint charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and two counts of distributing information relating to an explosive, destructive device, or weapon of mass destruction in relation to his plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh.

“Targeting places of worship is beyond the pale, no matter what the motivation,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “The defendant is alleged to have plotted just such an attack of a church in Pittsburgh in the name of ISIS.  The National Security Division and our partners will continue our efforts to identify and bring to justice individuals in our country who seek to commit violence on behalf of ISIS and other terrorist organizations.  I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation.”

“Our top priority is protecting the citizens of western Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Attorney Brady.  “Every day investigators and prosecutors work tirelessly behind the scenes to disrupt terrorist activity and keep our community safe.  While the public does not always see the results of the hard work of these dedicated men and women, this case is a visible demonstration of our commitment to rooting out terrorists and bringing them to justice.”

“Court documents show Mustafa Alowemer planned to attack a church in the name of ISIS, which could have killed or injured many people.  Fortunately, his plans were foiled by the full force of the FBI Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force,” said Assistant Director McGarrity.  “The FBI takes threats to churches and other religious institutions extremely seriously and will use all our resources to stop potential terrorist attacks against them.”

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“We will use every resource available to identify potential violent actors and protect the public,” said Special Agent in Charge Jones.  “Our Joint Terrorism Task Force is dedicated to identifying and bringing to justice those individuals who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, promote violent extremism and threaten our national security.  The invaluable partnerships the FBI Pittsburgh JTTF has with our federal state and local partners allow us to work tirelessly to protect Americans from terrorism.”

According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh:

The FBI Pittsburgh JTTF investigation of Mustafa Mousab Alowemer (Alowemer) revealed that Alowemer plotted to bomb a church located on the North Side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (the Church), using a weapon of mass destruction (i.e., an explosive device).  According to Alowemer, his motivation to detonate a device at the Church was to support the cause of ISIS and to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to join together and commit similar acts in the name of ISIS.  Alowemer also targeted the Church in order to “take revenge for our [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria.”  Alowemer was aware that numerous people in or around the Church could be killed by the explosion.

According to the complaint and information provided to the FBI by the Department of Homeland Security, Alowemer was born in Daraa, Syria, and was admitted to the United States as a refugee on Aug. 1, 2016.