A grand jury in Arizona indicted a teenager on terrorism charges, alleging he planned to attack participants at the Phoenix Pride Festival, authorities said Wednesday.
A Maricopa County grand jury indicted the 17-year-old on one count of terrorism and one count of conspiracy to commit terrorism, both felonies, the county attorney’s office said in a statement.
The suspect, who will be tried as an adult, acquired materials to make an explosive device, prosecutors alleged.
Between Nov. 1 and May 31, the teen discussed in online chat rooms the materials needed to make an improvised explosive device and had the supplies shipped to him, prosecutors said.
The teen, prosecutors said, discussed his intention to make an “unstable explosive that can propel shrapnel and other dangerous items outward, causing serious injury or death to people in the area.”
In addition to the suspect, the indictment refers to “Juvenile A” and other “unnamed co-conspirators.”
The pride festival was last weekend.
The indictment said the suspect’s motive was to “further the goals” of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
He is being held in jail on a $1 million cash-only bond, prosecutors said. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
The teen’s mother allegedly told investigators earlier this year that he was communicating in chatrooms with people “she described as terrorists,” NBC affiliate KPNX of Mesa reported, citing court documents. The teen was arrested in April related to a fight over the chatroom messages, the news station reported. He told police at the time that he was actively being recruited by extremists, KPNX reported. He was eventually released.
In one online message from December 2023, the teen allegedly said he was going to attack the “Pride parade first,” according to the news station. Other messages from January allegedly indicated his plans to attack a parade in New York with other people.
Jeremy Helfgot, a spokesperson for Phoenix Pride, thanked law enforcement for keeping the event safe.
“Fortunately, this individual was taken into custody by law enforcement on Friday,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday, adding “that happily the Phoenix Pride Festival and parade went on uninhibited, uninterrupted.”
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell thanked investigators and law enforcement partners. “It takes a tremendous amount of cooperative work by law enforcement to develop a lead, locate a suspect, interrupt an attack, and make an arrest before a tragedy could happen,” she said.