ISIS Plot To Assassinate Former President George W. Bush Foiled By FBI: Report
George W. Bush.
May 24 2022, Published 2:48 p.m. ET
An alleged ISIS member in the U.S. was plotting to kill former President George W. Bush, according to a report.
Citing an FBI search-warrant application filed March 23 that was unsealed this week in the Southern District of Ohio, Fortune reports that an Iraqi man was planning to assassinate the former president.
Fortune reports that the man took video around Bush's home in Dallas in November and recruited a team of compatriots he wanted to smuggle in through the Mexican border to help with the plot.
George W. Bush
The FBI said it uncovered the plot using two confidential informants and surveillance of the alleged conspirator's WhatsApp handle, according to Fortune. The man, based in Columbus, Ohio had planned to assassinate the former president because he believed he was responsible for killing many Iraqis and tearing the country apart after the 2003 U.S. invasion, the warrant states.
According to the warrant, the alleged conspirator has been in the United States since 2020 and had an asylum application pending, Fortune reports. One informant offered assistance in obtaining false immigration and ID documents, and the second offered to pay thousands of dollars to bring the man's family into the country.
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Forbes stated that it's unclear if the man has been arrested and, therefore, it is refraining from using his name. The Department of Justice had not responded to the outlet's request for comment at the time of publication.
George W. Bush.
Freddy Ford, chief of staff for the Office of George W. Bush, told Fortune: “President Bush has all the confidence in the world in the United States Secret Service and our law enforcement and intelligence communities.”
In November 2021, the alleged conspirator told an FBI insider about the plot asked if he knew how to “obtain replica or fraudulent police and/or FBI identifications and badges” to assist with the assassination, Fortune reports. Also, the man was planning to assassinate a former Iraqi general who helped Americans during the war.
The alleged conspirator claimed to be a member of a unit called "Al-Raed," meaning Thunder, that was led by a former Iraqi pilot for Saddam Hussein, Fortune reports. As many as seven members of the group were to be sent to the U.S. to carry out the assassination of Bush, the warrant stated.
