The FBI arrested a 17-year-old Texas boy accused of plotting to assassinate Republican Rep. Keith Self at a public event and planning a separate terrorist attack in North Texas on behalf of ISIS, according to law enforcement sources and local reports.
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The unidentified teenager from McKinney was arrested October 5 after obtaining a firearm, with federal authorities saying he remains in custody while the investigation continues.
Investigators believe the teenager had recently been radicalized by ISIS propaganda online and was preparing to target Self at an October 17 public event in the McKinney area.
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Authorities also believe the suspect was separately preparing an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack somewhere in North Texas, although federal officials have not publicly disclosed the intended target or operational details of that alleged plan.
Self, who represents Texas’ 3rd Congressional District, said U.S. Capitol Police notified him about the threat only after federal authorities had already taken the teenager into custody.
“When we knew about it, they had him,” Self told CBS News Texas, explaining that authorities provided him with only limited information about the alleged plot.
Self said investigators told him the teenager apparently wanted to attract attention and might attempt to shoot him, while also carrying out a terrorist attack.
The congressman said he did not know precisely how investigators discovered the alleged plot but understood that federal authorities had been aware of the teenager before his arrest.
Self praised the FBI for intervening before anyone was harmed, saying he was particularly grateful that authorities acted while the alleged plan was still developing.
“My family and I are safe,” Self said in a statement, adding that the incident would not change his focus on representing his district.
The alleged ISIS connection has drawn particular attention because Self has emerged as an outspoken congressional critic of radical Islam and efforts to implement Sharia law in the United States.
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Self co-founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus with Republican Rep. Chip Roy and recently introduced a nonbinding House resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation in the United States.
Asked whether those positions may have made him a target, Self cautioned that he could not establish the alleged attacker’s motive himself, saying that an ISIS connection might suggest one but that he did not know for certain.
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I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat. My family and I are safe, and I remain focused on serving the people of Texas’ 3rd District.
Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it—name-calling,…
— Rep. Keith Self (@RepKeithSelf) October 21, 2026
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised federal authorities Thursday for disrupting the alleged plot and said the Texas Department of Public Safety would continue working with federal law enforcement against terrorist threats.
“The FBI stopped this radical Islamic terrorist before he could strike,” Abbott said while declaring that Texas would continue combating terrorism and extremism.
News of the arrest has also heightened security concerns among other members of Texas’ congressional delegation as lawmakers spend increasing amounts of time at public events ahead of the November 3 midterms.
Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne told CBS News Texas that she has enhanced her own security in recent months because of threats against elected officials, while acknowledging that authorities have released relatively few details about the Self investigation.
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Because the suspect is 17, his identity has not been released, and a federal judge will ultimately decide whether he can be prosecuted as an adult.
Federal authorities have also not publicly released a detailed charging document describing the evidence supporting the allegations, meaning some information about the purported assassination and terrorism plots currently comes from law enforcement sources cited by news organizations.
Self, a former Army officer who served for 25 years and deployed overseas, said the episode had not intimidated him and that he intended to continue his work in Congress.
The teenager remains in federal custody, no injuries were reported, and investigators have indicated that the inquiry into the alleged ISIS-inspired plots remains active.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
