A Tucson man charged with plotting a terrorist attack on a motor vehicle office in metro Phoenix also expressed to an undercover FBI employee that he wanted to target a Jewish community center in his hometown in a violent attack, a federal agent testified Tuesday at a court hearing.
(FOX)- Agent Benjamin Trentlage said Mahin Khan eventually focused on plans to attack a motor vehicle office in Mesa and instructed the undercover employee to start building homemade grenades.
The agent said the 18-year-old wanted to inspire an insurgency in the United States to carry out the sort of attacks that had occurred in Paris and Brussels and had online exchanges with a person believed to be a member of the Islamic State terrorist group.
“He described the MVD (Motor Vehicle Department) as a soft target. He said it would have a lot of people and relatively low security,” Trentlage said, adding Khan decided against attacking a motor vehicle office in Tucson because there was a sheriff’s office located nearby.
The agent was the only person to testify Tuesday at a bond hearing for Khan, who has pleaded not guilty to state charges of with terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism and conspiracy to commit misconduct involving weapons.
Khan was denied bail after his July 1 arrest because he was accused of terrorism, but he is still entitled to another hearing to examine whether there’s proof to back up the charges before bond can be denied. His bond hearing will continue on Wednesday, when Khan’s lawyers will have a chance to question the FBI agent.