The FBI busted a New Jersey man who said he wanted to bomb Trump Tower and attempted to provide material support to Hamas, according to a news release from the US Attorney's Office and the law enforcement agency.

Jonathan Xie, 20, of Basking Ridge also lied on his application to enlist in the US Army and made threats against pro-Israel supporters, according to US Attorney Craig Carpenito. Xie was arrested Wednesday morning and was charged by complaint with two counts of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, two counts of making false statements and one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

He is scheduled to appear Wednesday afternoon before US Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court. "Homegrown violent extremists like Xie are a serious threat to national security," Carpenito said. "The actions that he took and planned to take made that threat both clear and present, and we commend our law enforcement partners for working closely with us to stop him before he could carry out his plans to commit violence on American soil.

"We will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard our country and its citizens from the threat of terrorism, whether that threat comes from abroad or – as here – from within." According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In April 2019, Xie appeared in an Instagram Live video wearing a black ski mask and stated that he was against Zionism and the neo-liberal establishment. When asked by another participant in the video if he would go to Gaza and join Hamas, Xie stated "yes, If I could find a way," according to the release.

Later in the video, Xie displayed a Hamas flag and retrieved a handgun. He then stated "I'm gonna go to the [expletive] pro-Israel march and I'm going to shoot everybody," according to the release.

In subsequent Instagram posts, Xie stated, "I want to shoot the pro-israel demonstrators . . . you can get a gun and shoot your way through or use a vehicle and ram people . . . all you need is a gun or vehicle to go on a rampage . . . I do not care if security forces come after me, they will have to put a bullet in my head to stop me." In December 2018, Xie sent $100 via Moneygram to an individual in Gaza who Xie believed to be a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades – a faction of Hamas that has conducted attacks, to include suicide bombings against civilian targets inside Israel, according to the release.