Sohaib Abuayyash, 20, a citizen of Jordan, is in the United States as an asylum-seeker. On June 2, 2016, he traveled to the U.S. for the first time.
In June 2019, Abuayyash came to the U.S. for the second time after applying for a tourist visa in Jerusalem, Israel. He entered the U.S. using a Palestinian passport.
In January 2020, Abuayyash overstayed a tourist visa. He started living in the U.S. illegally and applied for asylum status.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents later discovered that Abuayyash had been in direct contact with others who share a radical mindset while living in Spring, Texas. While his asylum application was still pending, he allegedly conducted physical training and trained with weapons to possibly commit an attack.
In the summer of 2023, Abuayyash came to law enforcement’s attention after he posted on TikTok and Instagram several videos of himself firing AR-style rifle and handguns taken at two different indoor ranges in Texas, USA. In August 2023, he was granted employment authorization, which is due to expire on August 1, 2025.
On August 11, 2023, Abuayyash posted on TikTok a video of himself firing 15 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle and then firing rounds from two handguns at a range in Houston, Texas. At about 2 minutes into the video, he poses with the rifle under Arabic writing that translates to: “Is it halal to marry a piece of weapon?”
On September 17, 2023, Abuayyash went to a gun range in Spring where he fired nine rounds from a black handgun with optics. It is a violation of his immigration status, which prohibits him from using or possessing weapons.
On October 19, 2023, FBI agents arrested Abuayyash in Texas, USA as part of a court-authorized law enforcement operation. He was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien.
On October 20, 2023, Abuayyash made his initial appearance in federal court in Houston and was ordered held in jail. He allegedly studied “how to build bombs and posted online about his support for killing Jews,” FBI director Chris Wray told the U.S. Congress on October 31, 2023.
CONAN Daily 