The FBI has arrested a 17-year-old McKinney resident accused of plotting to assassinate Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, in what federal law enforcement sources describe as an ISIS-inspired plot, according to a report from a local ABC affiliate.
The teen was taken into custody on Oct. 5 after acquiring a firearm, federal law enforcement sources told the outlet. Those sources said the suspect had been radicalized recently and was already being monitored by federal agents before the arrest.
Self, who represents Texas’ 3rd Congressional District and is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, confirmed the threat in a post on X.
“I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat. My family and I are safe, and I remain focused on serving the people of Texas’ 3rd District,” Self wrote. “Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it — name-calling, threats, and worse.”
Self told CBS News Texas that law enforcement contacted him only after the suspect was already in custody. He said investigators told him the McKinney teenager had planned to “perhaps try to shoot at me” and carry out a terrorist attack at an event earlier this month.
Congressman’s record on Sharia law
Self co-founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus, which describes its mission as drawing “attention to concerns surrounding Sharia [law] and its incompatibility with the principles enshrined in the United States Constitution.” Last month he introduced a concurrent resolution rejecting Sharia law’s implementation in the United States, and earlier this year he sponsored legislation aimed at barring American courts from recognizing foreign or religious laws that conflict with the U.S. Constitution.
Local context in McKinney
The plot surfaces amid ongoing local disputes in McKinney over religious institutions. Residents recently opposed the construction of a new mosque at a contentious town hall meeting, and a separate Islamic organization has publicized plans to build a 40,000-square-foot facility on the site of a former church. That organization hosted an event featuring a Muslim cleric who stated, “We want Islam for this country.”
A broader pattern of political violence
The alleged plot against Self adds to a string of recent violent incidents and threats targeting elected officials and political figures across the spectrum. President Donald Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts in recent years, including an incident in April when a man allegedly breached White House Correspondents’ Dinner security in an apparent attempt to reach the president and his cabinet. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a college speaking event last year, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., was shot and nearly killed during a 2017 congressional baseball practice. Conservative Supreme Court justices, ICE agents and other Republican-aligned officials have also faced violent threats in recent years.
