Terror Suspect Tried to Stab F.B.I. Agent in N.Y. Probe, Officials Say
NEW YORK, June 17 (UPI) — A man wanted in connection to an Islamic State-related investigation in New York City attempted to stab an FBI agent with a large kitchen knife early Wednesday, officials said.
Agents went to the suspect’s Staten Island home around 7 a.m. local time Wednesday. There, Fareed Mumuni, 21, attempted to attack one of the agents, police said. He allegedly made several swipes at the officer but did not connect with any of them.
Mumuni was wanted in an investigation that led to the arrest of another suspect, Munther Omar Saleh, over the weekend, CNN reported.
Authorities said the agents went to Mumuni’s house to execute a search warrant of his property — and that upon their arrival, at least one agent was attacked.
Saleh, 20, was arrested on suspicion that he was conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State. Investigators believe Mumuni was part of that conspiracy.
Officials said both men collaborated on multiple occasions and agents recorded their phone calls — one of which contained dialogue where one of the men said he was “motivated” by the meetings.
According to an affidavit, Mumuni ignored the officers’ commands to remain seated and suddenly lunged at the officers with a large kitchen knife. As officials tried to place him under arrest, he tried to stick the knife “into the torso of an FBI special agent and reached out with his hand in the vicinity of a rifle used by another member of law enforcement,” the affidavit said.
After his arrest, Mumuni supposedly told investigators that he had become dedicated to the radical Islamic cause and intended to travel to the Mideast region where the terror group operates.
Mumuni also told authorities that he planned to attack law enforcement officers if his efforts to join the IS were thwarted in any way, the affidavit says. It also notes that Mumuni said he kept a knife wrapped in a T-shirt in his bed as a precaution.
If convicted on the conspiracy charge, Mumuni would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Saleh, police say, was plotting to build and detonate a “pressure cooker bomb” — similar to the one used in the attacks on the Boston Marathon two years ago — somewhere in the New York City area, where both suspects are from.
Authorities indicated that they expect more arrests in this case.
