An Army National Guardsman in California suspected of plotting to blow up the Los Angeles subway system was arrested by federal authorities for attempting to give material support to an overseas terrorist group.
Nicholas Teausant, 20, was taken off an Amtrak bus that was stopped in Washington, near the Canadian border, the Daily Mail reported. Court documents indicate he was a student at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton and a National Guardsman who’s about to be discharged because of his failing academic grades.
A local ABC News affiliate reported that the Justice Department charged him with attempting to provide material support to an overseas militant group. Part of the complaint unveiled in U.S. District Court in Seattle claimed Mr. Teausant had discussed several terrorist plots with various entities — including one to bomb the L.A. subway system on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, the Mail reported.
Mr. Teausant reportedly made several online posts in recent months expressing his wishes to see America fall. One read, “I would love to join Allah’s army but I don’t even know how to start,” court documents said. In another online post, he expressed the hope to fight in Syria, the Mail reported.
Court documents also revealed that he had allegedly planned to support the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a radical military group waging war in Syria that’s been designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department.
He reportedly discussed those plans with an undercover FBI informant, the Mail reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.