FBI's Actions Follow Alleged Plot Against Congressman

A 17-year-old from McKinney is accused of plotting to assassinate North Texas Congressman Keith Self, confirmed to NBC 5 by Self's campaign officials. This comes as the Republican lawmaker is currently running for his third term representing Texas’ third congressional district. More details were confirmed to NBC 5 by Rep. Self, who says it 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 Oct. 5 and that the congressman's team learned of the arrest through U.S. Capitol Police on Oct. 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 Oct. 17 involving former Cowboys players and several high-profile guests. NBC 5 has reached out directly to the FBI Dallas office for more information and is still waiting to hear back.

Local 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. He added that 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.