(Washington Post) A Virginia college student has been charged with a weapon-of-mass-destruction offense, and federal prosecutors said he plotted an attack on Israel’s general consulate in New York using a bomb, assault rifle or suicide vest.
Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, a freshman at George Mason University, faces one count of demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive with intent to murder internationally protected persons, which carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years. Prosecutors may add other charges as the investigation proceeds. The university has banned him from campus.
U.S. officials said Hassan, an Egyptian national, is currently in deportation proceedings. That process probably would be delayed until the criminal case is resolved and Hassan completes any sentence if he is convicted. A public defender for Hassan, Cadence Mertz, declined to comment.
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