A 16-year-old is said to have made Islamic State group-related terroristic threats targeting the Las Vegas Valley earlier this week.
The teenager, not identified because of his juvenile status, was arrested Wednesday by the Metropolitan Police Department, according to a news release.
Metro Deputy Chief Dori Koren said counter-terroism detectives in Las Vegas became aware of the online threats on Nov. 28.
He said police received multiple reports of the threats being made on a social media messaging platform, but did not go into further detail about how authorities discovered them.
“The threat involved the suspect that claimed he was commencing lone-wolf terroristic attacks here in Las Vegas in furtherance of support for the Islamic State terrorist organization also known as ISIS,” Koren said during a Friday afternoon news conference at Metro headquarters.
In a message shown at the press conference, the sender identified himself as “a supporter” of the Islamic State group and said he was seeking other supporters to assist him in the attacks.
Koren said police found a handmade ISIS flag, a handmade ISIS headband, handmade ISIS patches, ISIS propaganda, antisemitic threats, bomb-making recipes and the ingredients to make an improvised explosive at the teen’s home when they arrested him without incident. He did not specify any details about the threats, such as targeted locations.
Koren said the suspect faces multiple charges in connection with the case, including five counts of possession of explosive components.
The teenager was living with his mother, stepfather and several siblings in Las Vegas, Koren said. He said they were residents of Las Vegas, but it was undetermined for how long.
Koren said police believe the incident was isolated and there were no other known current threats in the valley.