HOUSTON – A suspected terrorist is in custody after a seven-year federal investigation. The Houston FBI said 28-year-old Anas Said admitted to planning a terrorist attack on US soil.

The United States Attorney’s Office said Said was arrested on November 8 for attempting to provide support to the terrorist organization, ISIS.

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“We took a suspected terrorist off the streets of Houston, Texas,” said Douglas Williams Jr., a special agent in charge with the FBI.

Anas is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq, a terrorist organization also known as ISIS. Court documents allege that Anas praised ISIS’s use of violence and expressed a desire to lead violent attacks in the United States.

“By his own admission, he is planning a terrorist attack on U.S. soil from his apartment here in southwest Houston,” Williams Jr. said.

Said has been on the radar of the FBI’s Houston Joint Terrorism Task Force since 2017. They said early investigations revealed that Said frequently viewed ISIS literature and attempted to create ISIS propaganda.

“He had a deep affinity for high-ranking ISIS personnel and even ordered customized propaganda to outwardly show his support for ISIS,” Williams Jr. said.

The FBI discovered several social media accounts they say Said used to show his support for ISIS. They also said Said admitted to researching how to carry out an attack on military recruitment centers, offering his home as a sanctuary for ISIS operatives and wanting to use explosives to carry out a mass murder in Houston.

In 2017, the FBI received a tip that Anas had placed an order for two stickers showing support for ISIS, according to court documents. The documents state that Anas was interviewed four times in connection with the purchases between January and May 2018. Anas claimed that he began to believe in ISIS ideology in 2015 after returning to the United States from Lebanon, where he lived with his family until in 2014.

“He bragged that he would carry out a 9/11-style attack if he only had the resources,” Williams Jr. said.

Court documents reveal that Anas visited ISIS media sites. Those documents said that in October 2023, the FBI received information from Meta Platforms about 11 Facebook accounts used by Anas that showed he continued to support ISIS. In February, the FBI executed a search warrant for Anas’ home, vehicle and electronic devices. The FBI interviewed Anas’ mother and brother separately, and they expressed their concerns.

Last week, FBI agents arrested Anas. When he was confronted by officials, they said he violently threw his cell phone to break it. After being Mirandized and agreeing to speak to the agents, Anas explained in detail the level and extent of his support for ISIS. Officials said Anas admitted to creating, editing and using various programs to create ISIS propaganda.

“Those who create propaganda on behalf of a designated foreign terrorist organization are threats to national security,” said Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

If convicted, Said faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.