FBI arrest reveals alleged plot against North Texas congressman

A 17-year-old from McKinney is accused of plotting to assassinate North Texas Congressman Keith Self, confirmed by Self's campaign officials. This comes as the Republican lawmaker is running for his third term representing Texas’ third congressional district. More details were confirmed by Rep. Self, who says the situation became serious enough that he increased his awareness and security as early voting continues across the state.

Self's campaign manager said the teen was arrested by the FBI on October 5 and that the congressman's team learned of the arrest through U.S. Capitol Police on October 6. His campaign said they were informed that investigators believed the teen had been radicalized and was being monitored by federal agents. They were told the teen had also been planning a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS and was planning on targeting Self at a chili cook-off fundraiser for veterans scheduled on October 17.

NBC 5 has reached out directly to the FBI Dallas office for more information and is still waiting to hear back. Local representatives confirmed the latest news from around North Texas. Self said his team responded to the threats by becoming more vigilant. 'So at that point we upped our profile and we're a little more aware, although I had plenty of security,' he said. 'So we did change our situational awareness around us.'

The congressman told NBC 5 his previous military experience helped shape how he responded to the news. 'Having deployed into combat zones several times, I'm happy it happened to me because people that have never dealt with this before tend to freak out when somebody tells you that somebody's trying to kill you,' Self said. 'But in my case, it was a little more calm. I understood since the arrest had already taken place, we just needed to be aware of was he a lone wolf or not. So, we took that seriously. But it was not as a traumatic for me as it might have been for some of my colleagues.'

Self said his wife, who spent 25 years as a military spouse, understood the potential risks involved. 'My wife was a military wife for 25 years. She sent me off several times and so she's taking it very seriously as well,' Self said. He added that he has received threats before. 'We knew there were threats, but nothing has risen to the level of an arrest,' Self said. 'That's what makes this different. And frankly, the seriousness of it, we understand it could have been a very serious incident from what we've been told.'

Despite the alleged threat, Self told NBC 5 he attended the event as planned. 'I judged 19 different chilies and three different pots of beans,' he said. 'It was a delightful time and nothing, of course, happened.' The congressman said he has continued campaigning as well. 'We continued our activities and just watched what was going on around us. I've been out poll greeting this morning. And every day I've been out poll greeting, meeting voters. So we will continue to do our job.'

The arrest comes as Rep. Self has taken a prominent stance against Sharia law. In September, he introduced a nonbinding concurrent resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation in the United States. His resolution says the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. The congressman's district also includes McKinney, where debate surrounding plans for a new mosque has drawn considerable attention. In August, the McKinney City Council unanimously approved a site plan for expansion at a local mosque, saying the plans complied with the city's development rules. The vote followed hours of contentious public comment and was later followed by an effort to recall several council members. Evan Hunt, Self's opponent in the midterm election, also condemned the alleged assassination plot in a post on social media. The teen's identity has not been publicly released as the investigation continues.