Muslim Student Munther Omar Saleh Arrested for Plotting Terrorist Attacks in New York

I live in New York, go to church in Queens, and cross the George Washington Bridge regularly when heading to New Jersey. Yet I'm simply not allowed to be concerned about the ideology that leads highly educated American Muslims like Munther Omar Saleh to plot terrorist attacks that could kill me and my family.

George Washington Bridge

NEW YORK (WABC)—A 20 year old college student from Queens has been arrested for allegedly taking steps to plan to attack targets in the metropolitan area on behalf of ISIS.

Munther Omar Saleh appeared in federal court Saturday following a three month federal investigation.

Saleh conducted online searches on building explosives and was eluding law enforcement, authorities say. He was arrested earlier this month near the Whitestone Bridge.

According to investigators, he expressed interest to a confidential informant in conducting ISIS-style jihad in the New York metropolitan area.

Saleh thought al-Qaeda was getting soft and was "making efforts to prepare an explosive device for detonation" in New York, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

According to the federal complaint, it was two times back in March that Port Authority police spotted Saleh crossing the George Washington Bridge suspiciously, first, with a lantern, then simply scouting around.

But the federal government was well aware of his troubling activities.

Back on September 10th of 2014, Saleh had tweeted, "I fear AQ", meaning Al Qaeda, "could be getting too moderate".

But that was just the beginning.

The complaint also alleges that Saleh tweeted his support of the recent terrorist attack in Garland, Texas in which 2 suspects fired at a cartoon convention where pictures of the Prophet Muhammed were depicted.

Here's what else we now know about Saleh. He is a 20-year old U.S. citizen, an aeronautics student from Queens studying electrical circuitry.

In the complaint, authorities cite his research on the Internet, including everything from assault rifles and body armor, to pressure cooker bombs, propane, knives, ammo and crossbows.

They also say he even researched security footage from Columbine and New York City landmarks, and that he viewed an article called "What Does Islam Say About Killing An Innocent Person?"

Then they say it was early Saturday morning on 20th Avenue near the Whitestone Expressway that Saleh lunged at law enforcement shortly before his arrest.

Saleh was accused of being a "fervent supporter" of ISIS and offering to translate Islamic State propaganda into English. (Continue Reading.)

To understand why Munther Omar Saleh decided to wage jihad, watch this: