Arizona teenager faces terrorism charges over ‘ISIS-inspired plot against Phoenix Pride Festival’
Marvin Jalo, 17, will be tried as an adult, prosecutors said
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An Arizona grand jury indicted a 17-year-old who allegedly planned to bring explosives to the Phoenix Pride Festival.
Marvin Jalo is accused of acquiring materials to make an explosive device and voicing in online chat rooms that he planned to carry out an attack at the Phoenix Pride Festival during the weekend of October 20.
He was arrested and now faces felony charges — one count of terrorism and one count of conspiracy to commit terrorism — the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday. The teen will be tried as an adult.
An October 16 indictment states that Jalo “intentionally or knowingly did provide advice, assistance, direction or management of an act of terrorism to further the goals, desires, aims, public pronouncements, manifestos or political objective of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.”
The investigation found that between November 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, discussed the supplies “necessary to make an improvised explosive device and then had those supplies shipped to him,” prosecutors said in the release.
Specifically, prosecutors noted that the 17-year-old had discussed “his intent to make TATP (triacetone triperoxide), an unstable explosive that can propel shrapnel and other dangerous items outward, causing serious injury or death to people in the area.”
Jalo also had “conversations about making a RC-controlled bomb and attacking various targets, including in New York City,” Fox10 reported.
The outlet also uncovered the events leading up to his arrest.
Jalo was arrested at his home in Buckeye for ”unrelated incident involving criminal damage and disorderly conduct-[domestic violence],” court documents seen by the outlet revealed.
He and his mother had gotten into an argument after she discovered his online activity, finding that Jalo was “speaking with other subjects whom she described as terrorists, who had been conspiring to conduct a possible attack.”
The court documents allegedly stated that Jalo spoke with police and “confirmed he had been speaking with extremists, who were actively recruiting him. [Jalo] told police that he needed to gather more knowledge and better prepare himself before taking part in a terrorist event.”
Jeremy Helfgot, a spokesperson for Phoenix Pride said at a press conference on Wednesday after Jalo’s arrest was announced: “I think the important thing to note is that this particular plot was interdicted. It was stopped. It was stopped safely. It was stopped in time and our events were able to proceed safely and without incident.”
“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,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful and immensely proud of our MCAO investigators and our law enforcement partners for their integral involvement in this case.”
Jalo is currently being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. His original arraignment hearing is scheduled for October 25.