New details have now emerged in the case of a 21-year-old Forsyth County man who was arrested on Wednesday and charged with allegedly plotting to attack federal buildings in Washington D.C. with an arsenal of explosive weaponry.
According to documents obtained by the FCN, Hasher Jallal Taheb was previously the subject of four investigations by the Forsyth County Sherriff’s Office for alleged family violence, drug and verbal dispute charges in 2014 and 2015.
Most recently, documents state that Taheb was arrested twice in 2015 for multiple charges of criminal trespass and family violence. The reports state that Taheb was taken into custody at his home address on Horeshoe Creek Lane in Cumming on March 10 and April 28, 2015, but authorities say that they cannot comment on the circumstances of these arrests because each involves family violence.
Taheb, who attended Forsyth Central High School for two years and graduated in 2015, has now been charged for a violation of Title 18USC 844(f)(1), an “attempt to damage by means of explosive any building owned, possessed, or leased by the United States.”
He was taken into custody after meeting two undercover FBI employees at a store in Buford and allegedly attempted to purchase weapons, including semi-automatic weapons, improvised explosive devices, a shoulder-fired anti-armor weapon and hand grenades, which they would use in the attack on Jan. 17, 2019, according to the complaint.
After his arrest, Taheb appeared in U.S. District Court in downtown Atlanta for a first appearance before Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman.
On Thursday, FBI Atlanta Public Affairs Specialist Kevin Rowson said that Taheb is being held in federal custody, but would not comment on the specifics of his detention.
Attempts to reach Taheb’s attorney, Vionnette Johnson, or other family representatives for comment, were unsuccessful.
Court records indicate that Taheb is set to appear in district court on Jan. 24, 2019 for a preliminary hearing.