Teen ISIS recruiter makes bomb threat during online college lecture: feds
The suspect has never been a student at the Houston school, a university rep told The Post on Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A teenage ISIS recruiter was busted for making a bomb threat during a live online lecture at the University of Houston in Texas, authorities allege.
Ibraheem Ahmed Al Bayati, 19, Zoom-bombed the college class Sept. 2 — and blurted out in the middle of it, “What does any of this have to do with the fact that UH is about to get bombed in a few days?,’’ federal authorities said.
“Gasps from students can be heard after Al Bayati made his proclamation,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Texas court last week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The teen, who identified himself as Abu Qital al Jihadi al Mansur on the call, also said in Arabic the “Islamic State will remain,’’ according to the complaint. Prosecutors say the “Islamic State” comment refers to ISIS.
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In addition, the suspect held up an index finger, “which is often known as the ‘tawheed finger’ ” — and “sometimes an indicator of radical Islamic ideolog,” the document states.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Al Bayati, a US citizen who lives in Richmond outside Houston, was arrested Friday and allegedly later told the feds that his comments were all part of a joke between him and a pal — but officials said the teen is a recruiter for the terror organization.
He consented to a search of his cellphone records, which showed that last October, he told an associate that he “used a certain social media application to find ISIS supporters,” the complaint said.
“He then gave an example of where he helped an individual in a certain foreign city, who did not speak Arabic (Al Bayati speaks Arabic), … say the pledge thru voice messages. The ‘pledge’ appears to be a reference to the pledge potential recruits make when joining ISIS,” according to the document.
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Then this past May, Al Bayati “reminded [the associate] that he had told him about recruiting ISIS members from a certain foreign city,” court docs allege.
“Al Bayati also explained that he was ‘literally known’ as an ISIS recruiter,” the papers state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The suspect has never been a student at the Houston school, a university rep told The Post on Tuesday.
“As in most instances of ‘Zoom-bombing,’ meeting login information was compromised — a student shared the online class link with Al Bayati,” the spokeswoman wrote in an email.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Al Bayati is set to appear in court Tuesday afternoon on charges including making a bomb threat.
He faces up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.