Teenager accused of planning assassination of Texas congressman in name of ISIS

A 17-year-old McKinney, Texas resident has been taken into custody on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Republican Congressmember Keith Self in the name of ISIS, according to Dallas television station WFAA. The arrest came on October 5 after the teen allegedly obtained a firearm, police sources reportedly told WFAA.

Representative Self, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, recently expressed his resolve to combat what he perceives as the threat of radical Islam, stating that preserving a constitutional republic may entail "name-calling, threats and worse." The suspect's identity remains undisclosed, and it is unknown how long he had been under surveillance prior to his arrest. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has not commented on the matter.

Congressman Self has been a leading figure in the Republican movement to counteract the perceived infiltration of radical Islam into the United States. Alongside Texas Representative Chip Roy, he established the "Sharia-Free America Caucus" this year. Self declared at the time, "If we do not fight back, Sharia will dominate our culture and America will no longer be America."

The heightened focus on the Muslim community by individuals such as Self has been labeled as Islamophobic by critics and viewed as a strategy to rally the Republican base ahead of significant elections. The United States has witnessed an uptick in political violence since the inauguration of President Donald Trump last year. Self has faced at least two previous assassination attempts, while Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were murdered last year.