HOUSTON, Texas – New video has surfaced showing the moment the 28-year-old Houston man who was trying to join and carry out attacks for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Anas Said was arrested and charged last week with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The arrest in West Houston was anything but orderly. When FBI agents approached Said and his brother at an apartment complex and told them to get down, Said refused, threw his phone and smashed it to the ground before attempting to run from agents.
When agents began interviewing Said, he allegedly admitted to multiple connections with ISIS, like traveling several times in an attempt to join the terrorist organization and producing videos for them as well as wanting to travel back to Lebanon if or when he was released from jail.
Said, who was born in Houston, said he moved to Lebanon with his family when he was a toddler and then moved back to the United States in 2014 with his mother and brother.
On Thursday, Said appeared in court for a hearing for the first time since his arrest. While in court, it was revealed that Said was initially questioned about his ties to ISIS in 2017, but he allegedly denied any involvement, but in a more recent interview, FBI agents said Said’s intentions had changed once he learned about the Hamas-Isreal conflict.
“He admitted to wanting to use explosives to commit a mass killing here in Houston. He offered his home as a safe sanctuary to ISIS operatives,” FBI Special Agent Douglas Williams Jr. said.
According to court documents, multiple social media accounts linked to Said contained messages and posts that allegedly revealed that Said supported ISIS and the violent attacks carried out in its name.
Said allegedly targeted military personnel and specific Israelis. Court documents showed Said talked about his plans to buy a gun, scout a place in Houston, and target members of the US military to determine if they supported Israel or had served in places like Afghanistan or Iraq.
If their answer was ‘yes’, he said he would kill them.
He also allegedly looked into local Jewish organizations that supported Israel. FBI officials said he planned to put up a flyer urging them to stop, but if that didn’t work, he considered posing as a donor to meet with the head of the organization and, if necessary, assaulting them.
The FBI said they found research on Said’s electronics, showing he looked up several Jewish sites like synagogues and the Israeli Consulate, to understand their layouts and security measures.
Said’s attorney, Baldemar Zuniga, released the following statement regarding his client’s arrest.
“At this time, we are focusing our attention on the allegations in the indictment, allegations that revolve around material support of a terrorist organization by producing only videos and propaganda for ISIS. Despite allegations that my client made statements to government agents regarding proposed terrorist acts, the indictment does not currently allege any planning, or acts, of terrorism. This appears to be a lengthy investigation, and it will take some time to sift through all of the evidence.”
If convicted, Said faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
BELOW ARE COURT DOCUMENTS RELATED TO SAID’S INCARCERATION (Warning: the content of these files might be disturbing to some readers)