'I'm going try to make a bomb': Hezbollah terrorist apprehended at US-Mexico border attempting to enter illegally

A 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Lebanon who was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on March 9 admitted he was a member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, planned to make a bomb, and hoped to go to New York City.

According to a document obtained by the New York Post, Basel Bassel Ebbadi told CBP, "I'm going try to make a bomb" when asked what he was doing in the US.

Documents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed that the 22-year-old told them in a separate interview that he trained with Hezbollah for seven years, and focused on "jihad" and killing non-muslims. After training, he served four years with the organization as a guard at weapons locations.

Ebbadi later claimed that he fled his home country for the United States because he "didn't want to kill people" but "once you're in, you can never get out."

The Tactical Terrorism Response Team, (TTRT) took custody of the man, and he was scheduled to be deported.

According to the CBP website, between October and February, 59 people were caught trying to cross illegally into the US who were on the terrorist watchlist. In Fiscal year 2023, there were 172 people on the watchlist caught by CBP agents.

In an October letter to Department of Homeland Security head Alejandro Mayorkas, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said, "I write with alarm regarding the uptick in potential terrorist-linked illegal aliens encountered at the southern border." Referring to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists the senator said, "This development follows the barbaric attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on innocent American and Israeli civilians."

He added that it was "imperative that [he] address this issue immediately to ensure the safety of American citizens, especially Jewish Americans, who are facing increased threats to their physical safety following the Hamas attack."