Authorities have arrested two young people in an alleged plot to attack members of a Texas synagogue by driving through the congregation's building to 'kill as many Jews as possible,' according to court documents and law enforcement statements.
Arrests and Charges
Angelina Han Hicks, 18, of Lexington, North Carolina, was being held Thursday in the Davidson County jail under a $10 million bond. She was arrested Wednesday and formally charged with conspiring with two male subjects to commit murder and assault at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston on April 21, 2028, according to warrants detailing two felony counts. The FBI office in Charlotte confirmed Thursday that a juvenile was also charged in relation to the plot in Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston. It remains unclear whether the arrested juvenile is one of the two male subjects named in Hicks' warrants, which listed only first names and noted last names as 'unknown.'
Details of the Plot
A Houston Police Department news release on Thursday announced the arrest of a 16-year-old on charges of conspiracy to commit capital murder related to 'a threat directed towards certain Jewish institutions in our area.' The department did not specifically name Congregation Beth Israel. The FBI and the Houston school district police assisted in the arrest. 'At this time, there is no other known credible threat,' the release stated. Explaining the need for Hicks' detention, District Court Judge Carlton Terry wrote that the alleged 'conspiracy is to kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.' He added, 'Allowing a co-conspirator a chance to communicate with either of those individuals or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk.'
Investigation and Motive
The FBI's Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force began the investigation Tuesday evening after a tip to a North Carolina law enforcement agency. While Hicks' warrants point to a potential attack in 2028, Davidson County senior assistant district attorney Alan Martin noted there was 'some concern that there could be an imminent event' targeting the Houston synagogue. The motive for the planned violence has not been disclosed in North Carolina court documents. The investigation is ongoing. Hicks' court-appointed attorney, Chad Freeman, told the Houston Chronicle that the case is in its early stages and that Hicks' youth could be a factor in her defense. 'I anticipate getting numerous experts involved in the case to look at both investigatory and possible forensic matters,' Freeman said. Her next hearing is scheduled for May 13.
Community Response
Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest Jewish house of worship in Texas, founded in the 1850s, also operates a school up to fifth grade. The potential threats communicated by Houston police prompted Beth Israel to close on Wednesday 'out of an abundance of caution,' according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. The campus reopened Thursday. 'The safety and security of the Houston Jewish community is of utmost importance to all of us,' the federation wrote. Lexington, where Hicks was arrested, is about 90 miles west of Raleigh.
Context of Rising Antisemitism
This arrest comes a month after an armed man crashed his pickup truck into a major Detroit-area synagogue in another attack on Jewish people. Synagogues worldwide have increased security since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran on Feb. 28. In the Michigan incident, Ayman Ghazali, 41, drove his truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on March 12, striking a security guard. He then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself. No one else among the 150 children and staff was injured. Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen, had learned a week earlier that four family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
