Texas Teen Arrested for Alleged ISIS-Inspired Plot to Assassinate Congressman Keith Self

A 17-year-old boy from McKinney, Texas, has been arrested on suspicion of plotting to assassinate a Republican congressman and conduct an attack in the name of ISIS. The intended target was reportedly Representative Keith Self, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump known for advocating a confrontation with the spread of radical Islam in the US. According to Dallas media outlet WFAA, citing law enforcement sources, the suspect was apprehended on October 5 after obtaining a firearm, and had recently become radicalized. Representative Self expressed gratitude to the FBI and law enforcement, stating on X, "Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it – name-calling, threats and worse. This only strengthens my resolve. I will not back down." The suspect's identity has not been disclosed. It remains unclear how authorities became aware of his alleged plans or how long he was under surveillance. The FBI has declined to comment.

Representative Self has been a leading figure in Republican efforts to counter what they perceive as the incursion of radical Islam into the US. Earlier this year, he and fellow Texas representative Chip Roy established the Sharia-Free America Caucus. At the time of its launch, Mr. Self remarked, “If we do not fight back, Sharia will dominate our culture and America will no longer be America.” Critics argue that the heightened scrutiny of the Muslim community by Mr. Self and others is Islamophobic and serves as a tactic to energize the Republican base in the lead-up to significant elections. The US has seen an increase in political violence since Mr. Trump's return to office last year. He himself has been the subject of at least two prior assassination attempts. In a separate incident last year, Melissa Hortman, the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband Mark were killed.