Report: Lebanese man who entered US illegally near El Paso admits he was trained by Hezbollah
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The New York Post reports that on March 9th, 22-year-old Basel Bassel Ebbadi was caught by US Border Patrol sneaking over the border near El Paso. According to Border Patrol documents obtained by The Post, Ebbadi allegedly confessed “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” and head to New York.
Also according to a report from the Post, Ebbadi allegedly admitted to being a "Hezbollah terrorist." The U.S. government identifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Ebbadi claimed he had been trained by Hezbollah for 7 years and is a active member.
Later in an interview by internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Post reports that Eddabi said he had been trying to leave Hezbollah because he “didn’t want to kill people” and said “once you’re in, you can never get out."
The Post reports that Ebbadi didn’t have documents when he entered the U.S. Although New York was his destination, he allegedly told officials he planned to move around the country. The Post also reports Ebbadi was immediately placed into isolation following his arrest.
ABC- 7 reached out to CBP for a comment on this case and received the following statement:
“If an individual poses a potential threat to national security or public safety, we deny admission, detain, remove, or refer them to other federal agencies for further vetting, investigation and/or prosecution as appropriate.”
Landon Hutchens
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Office of Public Affairs El Paso and Big Bend Sectors
ABC-7 is also reaching out to Congressman Tony Gonzales Congresswoman Veronica Escobar for more information. Watch ABC-7 tonight to learn more.
