Teens Arrested Over Plot To ‘Kill As Many Jews As Possible’ In Major Synagogue Attack

Two teenagers, including an 18-year-old girl, were arrested earlier this week and charged with plotting a major attack on one of the largest Jewish synagogues in Houston.

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Angelina Han Hicks of Lexington, North Carolina, on Wednesday and accused her of planning to “kill as many Jews as possible” in an attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, the Associated Press reported. Hicks is accused of plotting the attack alongside two “male subjects.” The conspirators planned to murder Jewish worshipers by driving a vehicle through the synagogue on April 21, 2028, according to court documents.

It appears that one of the other alleged co-conspirators was also arrested earlier this week. The Houston Police Department announced on Thursday that a 16-year-old was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder in relation to “a threat directed towards certain Jewish institutions in our area.”

The Houston Police did not say the 16-year-old was arrested for a planned attack on Congregation Beth Israel specifically, but authorities in Texas’ largest city said they learned about the threat on the same day Hicks was taken into custody in North Carolina. Court documents identified Hicks’ alleged co-conspirators as “Teegan” and “Angel,” the Houston Chronicle reported.

Congregation Beth Israel, which also runs a school for pre-K through 5th graders, closed on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution” after Houston police alerted the synagogue’s leadership to the threat. The synagogue reopened on Thursday.

The FBI said that its Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force began investigating the alleged plot on Tuesday evening “after a tip to a North Carolina law enforcement agency.”

“This is an exceptional example of when you see something concerning, you say something to law enforcement,” the FBI added.

Hicks faces two felony charges of conspiracy to commit murder and felony conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon. Her bond was set to $10 million, with District Court Judge Carlton Terry saying on Wednesday that Hicks’ detention is necessary to prevent her from getting “a chance to communicate with either of those [co-conspirators] or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk.” Hicks’ lawyer said his client’s young age could be a major factor in her legal defense.

North Carolina prosecutors warned that while the alleged plot highlighted a date two years from now, there was “some concern that there could be an imminent event” targeting Congregation Beth Israel.

The arrests come as Jewish Americans face increased threats and just a month after a Muslim man in Michigan rammed his vehicle into the largest Jewish Reform synagogue in the United States in an attack that the Justice Department said was directed by Hezbollah. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese national, was killed after exchanging gunfire with security guards at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. One of the security guards was injured after he was struck by Ghazali’s vehicle, but no one else was harmed in the attack, which occurred near a daycare with dozens of children inside.