HOUSTON — UPDATE: 2/28/24: Sohaib Abuayyash was acquitted in a federal courtroom.
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The FBI confirmed Friday that it had arrested a Jordanian citizen, seeking asylum in the United States, on federal gun charges following a months-long multi-agency investigation into social media videos involving firearms and shooting ranges in the Houston area.
Sohaib Abuayyash, 20 was taken into custody as part of a court-authorized law enforcement operation on Thursday, according to FBI spokesperson Connor Hagan. He's been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien who has been admitted to the U.S. under a nonimmigrant visa.
A federal criminal complaint, unsealed Friday, alleges that Abuayyash came to law enforcement's attention in the summer of 2023 after posting social media videos of himself firing guns, including an 'AR-style' rifle and handguns. The videos, posted on TikTok as well as Instagram, prompted a wider investigation and led agents to a pair of Houston-area gun ranges.
The videos, presented as evidence in the court filing, show Abuayyash firing weapons at two different indoor ranges, which agents allege shows he broke federal law, which prohibits most people visiting the U.S. from possessing or using firearms. Investigators said that follow-up interviews with workers at both gun ranges linked Abuayyash's videos to purchase records and surveillance images, confirming his identity. Agents also alleged that despite claiming that the firearms were AirSoft weapons, in his postings, firearms experts determined the weapons were, in fact, real guns.
The FBI says its investigation revealed that Abuayyash traveled to the U.S. twice -- between 2016 and 2019 -- before eventually overstaying a tourist visa and living illegally in the U.S. for several months. During the second trip, he entered the country using a Palestinian passport, and according to investigators, he later applied for asylum status, which according to court records is still pending.
The complaint calls the federal probe a "national security investigation" and that through the course of their work, agents discovered that Abuayyash had "been in direct contact with others who share a radical mindset, has been conducting physical training, and has trained with weapons to possibly commit an attack."
Documents do not elaborate on the statement or provide specifics on that portion of the investigation, however, the document alludes to other facts from the investigation which were not presented in the criminal complaint.
Abuayyash is currently being held in federal detention in Houston and is due before a magistrate judge next week.
As of Friday night, his attorney had not yet responded to a request for comment from KHOU11 News.