Federal Agents Arrest a 17-Year-Old Texas Boy Accused of Plotting to Kill Rep. Keith Self for ISIS, Local Report Says

Federal authorities have arrested a 17-year-old Texas boy accused of plotting to assassinate Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, and to carry out a separate attack in North Texas for ISIS, according to a local report that Fox News Digital relays.

What is reported. WFAA, citing federal law enforcement sources, says the teen was arrested Oct. 5 after he acquired a firearm. He has not been publicly identified. The station reports he planned to target Self at an event last Saturday, and that investigators believe he was planning another attack on behalf of ISIS. Fox says it reached out to Self and the FBI for comment. The charges, the teen's court status and the FBI's own account are not in the Fox report.

What Self said. On X, Self wrote, "I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat," and said his family is safe. He added that "preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it," and that he served 25 years in the military and "will not back down."

What he knew. Self told CBS News Texas he learned of the case when the suspect was already in custody. He said the FBI, through Capitol Police, "only tells us so much," though he understood authorities had known about the teen "for a while." Asked by WFAA whether his stance on Islamic extremism explains why he was targeted, he said he could not be certain. "If it's ISIS related, you kind of have to believe that. I can't prove that. I don't know that for sure."

Background. Fox notes that last month Self introduced a nonbinding resolution denouncing Sharia law, and that he co-founded the "Sharia-Free America Caucus" last year with Rep. Chip Roy. He is seeking a third term in November.

Note for readers: the plot, the ISIS link and the target are allegations from unnamed sources through a local station. We have not seen charging documents.