Syrian Refugee in U.S. Arrested for Allegedly Plotting Pittsburgh Church Attack

A Syrian refugee in the United States was arrested for allegedly planning an Islamic State-inspired attack on a church in Pennsylvania. According to a federal prosecutor, Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, who arrived in the country in August 2016, intended to target a Christian house of worship in the North Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The suspect reportedly shared documents outlining the construction and use of explosives to an FBI agent who had been posing as an ISIS sympathizer. Alowemer apparently made contact with the agent through social media, meeting with the agent four times since April. Authorities have charged him with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and two counts of distributing information relating to weapons of mass destruction. The news comes months after a white supremacist shot dead 11 people in an anti-Semitic attack at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack against Jews in modern U.S. history.