The trial of Sohaib Abuayyash, 20, got underway in Houston on Monday. He is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien; if convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
FBI director Chris Wray said during congressional testimony in October that the FBI had arrested a man—later identified as Abuayyash—who “had been studying how to build bombs and posted online about his support for killing Jews.”
Abuayyash came to the United States in 2019 on a tourist visa. After it expired he requested asylum, claiming to be a Jordanian citizen.
The defendant’s order of detention, which kept him in custody until his trial, stated he supported radical groups, viewed bomb-making materials, called for killing “individuals of particular religious faiths” and referred to a Houston religious group’s event as a potential terror target.
According to a police source speaking with CNN, Abuayyash had been “plotting to attack a Jewish gathering.”
During jury selection, lawyers quizzed potential jurors on their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and gun rights.
Abuayyash has pleaded not guilty.
