MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY PLANNING TO ATTACK WHITE HOUSE:

A 21-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly planning an attack on the White House and other federal buildings.

Authorities arrested Hasher Jallal Taheb of Cumming, Georgia amid a yearlong investigation into his alleged intention to use anti-tank rockets and improvised explosive devices to attack the federal buildings, U.S. Attorney B.J. Pak said at a press conference Wednesday.

The investigation began after a community member sent in a tip in March 2018 that Taheb had become “radicalized” and made plans to travel abroad, according to the criminal complaint. When he was unable to travel abroad due to passport issues, he allegedly began planning an attack in the U.S.

The use of scare quotes around radicalized is a nice touch by NBC.

More from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:

On Aug. 25, 2018, Taheb allegedly put his vehicle up for sale to fund a trip. An FBI informant reached out to show interest and met with the suspect days later.

Taheb allegedly said he planned to travel to “hijra,” a term said to refer to Islamic State territory.

He also told the informant he wanted to attack the White House and Statue of Liberty in jihadist attacks, authorities said. At the beginning of December, Taheb arranged a meeting with the informant and an undercover FBI agent, the complaint said.

“Taheb explained that jihad was an obligation, that he wanted to do as much damage as possible, and that he expected to be a ‘martyr,” the complaint said.

Obviously, we may never learn the suspect’s motives.