A 19-year-old man was arrested by federal authorities last Friday after he allegedly joined a UH Zoom lecture and threatened to bomb the University.
Ibraheem Ahmed Al Bayati, 19, joined a UH Zoom lecture on Sept. 2, according to the Department of Justice, and identified himself as Abu Qital al Jihadi al Mansour.
After joining the lecture, according to the justice department’s statement, Al Bayati said, “What does any of this have to do with the fact that UH is about to get bombed in a few days?”
The complaint said after Al Bayati made the threat, he held up his index finger and said “Islamic State will remain” in Arabic and repeated the phrase. He left the call shortly after.
Al Bayati allegedly participated in finding ISIS supporters online and was a known recruiter for the group.
Al Bayati is charged with “making threats or conveying false information to destroy by means of fire or explosives and making a threat over interstate commerce,” as stated by the Department of Justice. If convicted, he is potentially facing up to 15 years in federal prison for both charges.
Al Bayati will appear in federal court Tuesday at 2 p.m.
