US foils terrorist bombing plot in Times Square

Times Square in New York City, USA. Photo: Wikipedia.

Three people have been charged with plotting an attack, intended to be carried out in the name of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), during the Muslim month of Ramadan in 2016.

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 19, a Canadian, bought bomb-making materials and was arrested after arriving in the United States. He pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, the US federal government announced on October 6, according to the Washington Post.

Talha Haroon, 19, a US citizen living in Pakistan, is believed to have planned to take part in the attack, while Russell Salic, 37, a Filipino, is believed to have provided funding for the operation.

The plots were foiled with the help of an undercover FBI agent who posed as an IS supporter and contacted the three suspects. Haroon and Salic were arrested overseas and are awaiting extradition to the United States.

"El Bahnasawy and Haroon identified multiple locations and events in and around New York City as targets for planned attacks, including the subway system, Times Square, and several concert venues," the statement said.

The 2015 attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris and another on a Belgian subway the following year served as the impetus for the New York plot. IS claimed responsibility for both attacks and inspired a string of other deadly attacks abroad.

According to VNE