Federal authorities say a recently radicalized Texas teenager allegedly plotted to assassinate Republican Rep. Keith Self in the name of ISIS.
The 17-year-old McKinney resident was reportedly influenced by online terrorist propaganda and targeted Self, a co-founder of the Sharia-Free America Caucus. Sources told WFAA that the teen also obtained a firearm despite being a minor.
Investigators say he intended to carry out the attack at a public cook-off before the FBI arrested him Oct. 5. The teenager, whose identity has not been released, remains in federal custody.
Self, who introduced legislation in July aimed at protecting the Constitution from Sharia law, addressed the threat on X Wednesday. “Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it—name-calling, threats, and worse,” he wrote.
“Our Founders believed this country was worth the sacrifice. I served 25 years in the military because defending freedom was worth the sacrifice. This only strengthens my resolve. I will not back down.”
Self told CBS News Texas that he learned of the alleged plot only after federal authorities informed him they had arrested someone seeking notoriety by trying “to shoot at me.”
“When we knew about it, they had him,” Self said, adding that he was “very grateful” to the FBI. He said authorities indicated they had been aware of the teenager for some time.
Threats against lawmakers are “more routine than you would think with members of Congress,” Self said. However, he noted that earlier threats against him had not reached this level and had not resulted in law enforcement action.
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“So often we hear that somebody does something and then you find out later that the FBI had him on some sort of watch list and didn’t take action,” Self said. “So I am very grateful that the FBI took action in this case.”
Although Self described the period as “very unsettled,” he said the alleged plot had not shaken him.
“I was in the military for 25 years, deployed multiple times,” he told the local CBS station.
He said he was also reassured because law enforcement had the suspect under control. “Now, it would have been a little different if they had said, ‘There’s an unknown threat out there.’”
Self, who is seeking re-election, has emerged as one of Congress’ strongest critics of Sharia law. He has previously called the ideology “dangerous” and described it as a “culture of violence and domination.”
“The United States Constitution and Sharia are fundamentally at odds with one another,” Self said last November.
“While Western civilization has evolved, Islam has not. Islam is stuck in the 8th century, and if they succeed at imposing their beliefs on us, we will be dragged back into the ‘Dark Ages.’”
Self is scheduled to face Democrat Evan Hunt in November’s congressional election.
He won his 2024 race with 62.5% of the vote over Democrat Sandeep Srivastava.
