Hide Transcript Show Transcript

HIM. THIS IS MUSTAFA ALOWEMER AND AN IMAGE FROM A VIDEO HE SHARED, ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS AND FBI TESTIMONY. THEY SAY HE WAS COMMUNICATING DAILY WITH AN UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATOR, SENDING THE AGENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ISIS PROPAGANDA. ABC SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR STE GOMEZ TELL US: >> THIS IS ONE OF THE SCARIEST SITUATIONS WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH COMBATING TERROR. >> THE RECENT GRAD FROM BRASHEAR HIGH SCHOOL, LIVING IN NORTHVIEW HEIGHTS, CAME TO THE U.S. A FEW YEARS AGO AS A SYRIAN REFUGEE. HE’S ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TO BLOW UP THE LEGACY INTERNATIONAL WORSHIP CENTER, A CHURCH IN PITTSBURGH’S NORTH SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD. HE’S CHARGED WITH DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION ON BOMB MAKING AND WITH ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO ISIS >> HOUSES OF WORSHIP ARE ON THE RADAR FOR ISIS. THEY WANT THEIR FOLLOWERS TO ATTACK HOUSES OF WORSHIP. >> AN FBI AGENT TESTIFIED THIS FIRST IMAGE IS FROM A VIDEO IN WHICH ALOWEMER IS ALLEGEDLY PLEDGING A BAY’AA, OR OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO ISIS HIS LOWER FACE IS COVERED WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A SKULL-LIKE MASK >> THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SYMPATHIZERS OF ISIS, HOMEGROWN EXTREMISTS HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD THAT IS SITTING AT THEIR HOUSE GOING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TH INTERNET AND THEY ARE DIGESTING ALL THIS PROPAGANDA FROM ISIS THAT IS ESSENTIALLY RADICALIZING THEM. >> SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE SAYING I WILL SEND YOU THE VIDEO. YOU SAY TH BECAUSE I WANT TO DELETE IT FROM MY DEVICE. THE SECOND IMAGE OF A VIOLENT TRUCK EXPLOSION SET UP WITH A ROCKET PROPELL GRENADE, THE FBI SAYS THIS IS FROM AN ICE IS PROPAGANDA VIDEO. HE SHARED IT WITH SOMEONE THAT HE THOUGHT W AN ICE’S SUPERVISOR BUT WAS ACTUALLY AN UNDERCOVER FBI AGENT. >> HE IS BEING HELD WITHOUT BOND AS HE WAITS TO STAND TRIAL.

Advertisement Evidence images in Pittsburgh church bombing plot case released Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Pittsburgh's Action News 4 has obtained two images of evidence in the case involving a man accused of planning a terror attack on a Pittsburgh church.The evidence images are from the case against Mustafa Alowemer, 21, of Northview Heights, who is accused of planning to bomb the Legacy International Worship Center on Wilson Avenue in Pittsburgh's Perry South Neighborhood.Tap the video player above to see the newly-released images, along with video of the suspect.The first image (seen below) is from a video in which Alowemer allegedly pledges allegiance to ISIS. His lower face is covered with what appears to be a skull-like mask. The second image (seen below) is from an ISIS propaganda video he allegedly sent to an FBI undercover investigator. At a court hearing last week, FBI Special Agent Gary Morgan testified that in April, Alowemer sent the video pledge of allegiance to ISIS then asked the investigator to save it so that he could delete it from his own device.The agent testified that in May, Alowemer sent to an undercover agent what appeared to be an ISIS propaganda video that depicted a large truck bomb being detonated somewhere in the Middle East by a militant who fired a rocket-propelled grenade from a rooftop.Alowemer was arrested earlier this month. Following his court appearance he was held for trial on charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information relating to an explosive device. That material included two detailed documents on bomb making.Morgan testified at the June 21 hearing that Alowemer was communicating daily with an undercover investigator, sending the agent a significant amount of ISIS propaganda."This is one of the scariest situations that we have to deal with in combating terrorism," said Steve Gomez, ABC News security contributor and a former FBI special agent in charge, told Pittsburgh's Action News 4. "The fact that there are sympathizers of ISIS, home grown extremists, that are here in the U.S. and around the world, that are sitting at their houses going on social media and on the Internet, and they're digesting all of this propaganda from ISIS, which essentially is radicalizing them."Alowemer, a recent graduate from Brashear High School who was living in Northview Heights, came to the U.S. a few years ago as a Syrian refugee. He allegedly scouted the church as a bombing target, providing the undercover investigators with maps detailing the location and vicinity."Houses of worship are on the radar for ISIS. They want their followers to attack houses of worship," Gomez said.Alowemer allegedly sent an undercover investigator the oath of allegiance to ISIS, called a "bay'aa", as well as a social media message saying, "Brother, I will send you the (bay'aa) video and you save it because I want to delete it from my device."Morgan testified that Alowemer was communicating daily with an undercover investigator, sending a significant amount of ISIS propaganda.Alowemer is being held without bond as he awaits trial.