Fareed Mumuni, a 21-year-old New York City resident with alleged ties to ISIS attempted to stab an FBI agent who was searching his Staten Island home on Wednesday, as part of an an ongoing investigation into terrorist-related activities that began with the arrest of Munther Omar Saleh, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, CNN reports.
“As the officers attempted to restrain (him), Mumuni repeatedly attempted to plunge the knife into the torso of an FBI special agent and reached out with his hand in the vicinity of a rifle used by another member of law enforcement,” read the criminal complaint.
Mumuni who was arrested in his Staten Island home on Wednesday already appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court and he is being charged with attempting to murder a federal employee, according to the complaint.
Authorities believe Mumuni conspired with Saleh in planning a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS. Law enforcement observed Mumuni meeting with Saleh on several occasions in May and phone conversations recorded by authorities describe one of Saleh’s meetings with Mumuni as “motivating,” according to court documents.
