A Philadelphia teen who was arrested as a minor for allegedly attempting to join a global terrorist group as a bombmaker will be prosecuted as an adult, according to First Assistant District Attorney Robert Listenbee on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Law enforcement also shared new details about the suspected bombmaker, Muhyyee-Ud Din Abdul-Rahman.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said “overwhelming evidence” collected during an investigation that spanned more than a year showed the then-17-year-old “intended to cause a mass casualty event.”
Authorities say Abdul-Rahman allegedly wanted to join an international terror group and claim that he tested detonation devices more than a dozen times in his backyard and in the woods behind it. Police also said he had considered targeting Philadelphia’s Pride parade by placing bombs in trash cans along the route.
Investigators said that they found internet searches on his two phones, where he was scoping out the location of the parade and where trash cans would be located. However, he never pulled off the attack.
The teen was taken into custody in August 2023, and he previously told detectives that he was upset with homosexuality and how it was “pressed upon children” in the United States.
Officials also discovered searches for nuclear power station locations, Army-Navy football games and details about Fort Bragg and the Pentagon as well as 40 other military bases and entities.
Following his arrest, police found a passport, tactical gear, uniforms, radios, knives and other military equipment needed for his intended trip to Syria.
The teen allegedly communicated with KTJ; a global terror group affiliated with al-Qaida. Detectives assert that although he had a college scholarship for wrestling, he would’ve thrown it all away to become a bombmaker for the terrorist organization.
“He was ready to leave his family, his friends, his school, and his wrestling team,” Listenbee said. “He had no intention of going to college in the United States and he knew that if he traveled to Syria that he would never be able to come back to the United States.”
Abdul-Rahman is charged with attempt to commit weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing or risking catastrophe, and related offenses.
His bail has been set at $5 million.
