U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested eight men from Tajikistan with possible ties to the terrorist organization ISIS-K in some of the largest cities in the United States on Tuesday.
The men, who had reportedly crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally but were processed and released by the Border Patrol, were caught in a sting operation after they were flagged with “national security concerns, including ties to ISIS,” according to multiple reports. They were arrested in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles over the weekend.
After the operation, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a joint statement:
“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities. The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces,” the statement said. “The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
“As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security,” the agencies added.
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The men arrested don’t face any terrorism charges, but as of Tuesday evening, they remain in U.S. custody.
ISIS hasn’t been as significant a power in the Middle East for several years after taking over chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria. The terrorist organization had been associated with several atrocities across the world, including when an ISIS-pledged gunman killed over four dozen people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
