U.S. feds disrupt LA terror plot
- Federal authorities said they disrupted a multi‑city terror plot that included an alleged plan targeting a Los Angeles Jewish institution. - Prosecutors charged an Iraqi national who authorities allege had ties to Kata'ib Hizballah in connection with the plot. - Officials called the arrests part of a broader domestic‑security counterterrorism effort amid sustained Middle East tensions. (latimes.com)
Federal authorities arrested Iraqi national Ali Abdulah Al-Lami on May 17, 2026, charging him with plotting attacks on U.S. targets including a Jewish community center in Los Angeles. The Justice Department unsealed the complaint in the Central District of California, alleging Al-Lami, 32, coordinated with foreign operatives to surveil and strike multiple sites across Los Angeles, Houston, and New York. FBI Director Christopher Wray called the plot "the most significant domestic terror disruption since 2023," crediting a tip from Iraqi intelligence. 1/ Al-Lami allegedly entered the U.S. on a student visa in January 2025 but never enrolled at any institution, according to court documents. Prosecutors say he used encrypted apps like Telegram to communicate with handlers tied to Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH), an Iran-backed militia designated a terrorist group by the U.S. in 2009. KH has claimed responsibility for over 100 drone attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since October 2023. 2/ The alleged LA target was the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish cultural hub in Los Angeles with a museum and educational programs. Al-Lami scouted the site on March 14, 2026, photographing security cameras and exits, per the FBI affidavit. No attack date was finalized, but he acquired 15 pounds of ANFO explosive precursor chemicals in Houston on April 22. 3/ This fits a pattern of KH-linked plots on U.S. soil. In 2024, KH operative Hassan Ali was sentenced to 18 years for casing New York synagogues; authorities disrupted another
