A juvenile suspect in the Dallas area, arrested by the FBI for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack, is also believed to have considered assassinating Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), a leading congressional critic of Sharia law and co-founder of the Sharia-Free America Caucus.
According to Breitbart, federal agents took the juvenile into custody on October 5, 2026, in connection with what authorities describe as a plan to carry out a terrorist operation on behalf of the Islamic State. Investigators subsequently obtained information indicating the same suspect may have been preparing to murder Self with a firearm at a local event scheduled for October 17, 2026, underscoring the extent to which Islamist extremism is increasingly targeting outspoken defenders of the U.S. constitutional order.
The juvenile has been formally charged and remains in custody as the investigation continues under federal supervision. While details of the suspects identity and background are being withheld because of his age, the alleged plot highlights the persistent appeal of ISIS propaganda to vulnerable or radicalized youth within the United States.
Self, who represents Texass Third Congressional District, responded to the alleged assassination scheme with a pointed reminder of the stakes involved in confronting radical Islam. In order to preserve our Constitutional Republic from the onslaught of radical Islam we need to be willing to take some slings and arrows. It may mean being on the receiving end of name calling, threats or something worse, Self told Breitbart News regarding the alleged assassination plot.
He framed the threat in terms of sacrifice and duty, drawing a direct line between the nations founding principles, military service, and the responsibilities of elected officials. Our Founders thought the idea of this country was worth the sacrifice. Those who have served in our military think that defending freedom is worth the sacrifice. Our elected leaders should govern with the same mindset.
In recent years, Self has become one of the most vocal opponents of Sharia law in Congress, arguing that Islamic legal codes are fundamentally incompatible with the American constitutional system. He co-founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus in December 2025 alongside Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), positioning the group as a bulwark against any attempt to normalize or accommodate Sharia-based norms in U.S. law or public policy.
By June 29, the caucus had expanded rapidly, drawing 68 House members from 25 states and signaling a growing willingness among Republican lawmakers to confront Islamist ideology directly. The caucus has stated that it is committed to upholding the Constitution as the supreme law of the land while defending the freedoms and liberties upon which the United States was founded, a mission that resonates strongly with conservatives who view constitutional supremacy as non-negotiable.
Self has repeatedly emphasized that Americas legal and political traditions are rooted in a Judeo-Christian moral framework that cannot be reconciled with Sharia. Christian values form the foundation of our nation and the constitutional system that governs our daily lives, Self said when announcing the caucuss growth.
Sharia and its principles stand in direct opposition to those foundations and are wholly incompatible with the rule of law in the United States.
Roy has echoed that warning, stressing that Sharia is not merely a private religious code but a comprehensive political-legal system that seeks dominance. He has warned that Sharia is a direct threat to our Constitution and Western values and seeks to replace our legal system and erode our basic freedoms, a view that reflects longstanding conservative concerns about creeping Islamization and the erosion of Western norms.
Self has backed his rhetoric with legislative initiatives aimed at reinforcing constitutional primacy and blocking foreign or religious legal systems from gaining a foothold in American courts. On September 3, he introduced a concurrent resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation in the United States, a measure designed to put Congress on record against any form of legal pluralism that would dilute constitutional authority.
The resolution, as drafted, reaffirms a fundamental principle: the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land and declares that no foreign legal or political system should supersede the Constitution or undermine the rights and liberties it protects. For conservatives wary of transnational legal norms and supranational bodies, such language reflects a broader effort to reassert national sovereignty and resist ideological encroachment.
In July, Self followed up with additional legislation intended to close any perceived loopholes that might allow foreign or religious codes to influence American adjudication. He introduced a bill that would ensure courts and adjudicative bodies in the United States do not recognize or enforce foreign laws, religious laws, customs, or practices that conflict with the Constitution of the United States and the laws made pursuant to it, thereby reinforcing a single, unified legal standard.
Earlier, in April, Self had unveiled the Freedom Against Imposed Theology Harms, or FAITH Act, which seeks to protect Americans from financial coercion tied to religious observance. The legislation establishes a nationwide standard that prohibits any person, organization, or entity governmental or nongovernmental from imposing fees, fines, penalties, or any form of financial coercion based on an individuals religious beliefs or their refusal to participate in another faiths practices, a measure that aligns with conservative concerns about compelled speech and forced participation in ideological or religious rituals.
Selfs warnings about Sharia are not new; they are part of a sustained campaign to educate the public and his colleagues about what he views as an existential ideological threat. As chairman of the Europe Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he delivered a stark House floor speech on November 19, 2025, in which he declared, Sharia is dangerous.
He contrasted the American constitutional order with Sharias theocratic claims, arguing that the two systems cannot coexist on equal footing. The United States Constitution and Sharia are fundamentally at odds with one another, Self said.
The Constitution begins with We the People, Sharia states, Allah has said. Followers of Sharia believe Muhammad received a divine legal code that stands supreme over all man-made laws.
Self went on to argue that Sharias approach to religious freedom is diametrically opposed to the First Amendments protections. Freedom of religion is in our 1st Amendment, but Freedom of religion in Sharia means one is permitted to embrace Islam, but one is never free to leave Islam, Self continued.
Abandoning Sharia is an apostasy punishable by death.
He also pointed to recent public statements by Islamist leaders as evidence of an explicit agenda to expand Islamic dominance in the West. In the streets of New York City, a Muslim Imam recently proclaimed, We will not stop until Islam enters every home, Self said.
There is no denying Islams intent to dominate Western civilization. Their stated objective is to destroy us from within.
Self framed the issue as a defining choice for the American people, invoking Abraham Lincolns famous words about government of the people, by the people, for the people. This is a time for choosing, Self concluded.
Either we defeat the Sharia advances in America, or government of the people, by the people, for the people may indeed perish from the earth.
The revelation of an alleged plot against Self comes amid a broader pattern of ISIS-inspired schemes targeting American institutions and officeholders. In August, the FBI arrested 35-year-old Jessica Bowie of Albany, New York, over an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to bomb the New York State Capitol, a case that again underscored how Islamist extremism seeks to strike at the heart of representative government.
Federal authorities alleged that Bowie pledged allegiance to ISIS, sought instructions for constructing explosives, and conducted multiple visits to the Capitol, where she took photographs and allegedly planned an attack timed for when lawmakers would be present. She was arrested on August 19 after taking possession of what she believed to be an explosive device, and authorities said she wanted to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill senators before fleeing to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.
FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli emphasized the breadth of her ambitions, stating that Miss Bowie didnt just want to kill lawmakers; she wanted a complete disruption of our government. Bowie was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a reminder that domestic adherents of jihadist ideology are willing to use mass-casualty tactics to destabilize American governance.
Another prominent case involved Christopher Lee Cornell of Ohio, who plotted an attack on the U.S. Capitol during the 2015 State of the Union address, targeting one of the most symbolically significant events in the federal governments calendar. According to court documents, Cornell researched weapons, bomb construction, the Capitol complex, and other Washington-area targets, and he acquired two semi-automatic rifles along with approximately 600 rounds of ammunition.
Cornell intended to kill federal officers and employees in an assault he admitted was designed to provide material support to ISIL, the Islamic States earlier designation. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested him on January 14, 2015, and he later pleaded guilty to attempting to kill government employees, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
He received a 30-year prison sentence and lifetime supervised release, reflecting the gravity with which federal courts treat such plots. Then-U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman noted that Cornell plotted to commit violence as a symbolic attack on the United States as a whole, underscoring that these attacks are not merely against individuals but against the nations constitutional system and way of life.
The ideological clash over Sharia law is not confined to security cases; it has also become a flashpoint in electoral politics, particularly in swing states. Debate over Sharia has emerged as a key issue in Michigans 2026 U.S. Senate race, where Democrats have nominated Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, a candidate whose own statements about Sharia and U.S. foreign policy have drawn scrutiny.
Breitbart News reported in September that El-Sayed criticized Oklahoma voters decision to ban Sharia law during a 2022 event hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). When the state of Oklahoma voted in a referendum to amend the constitution to ban Sharia law. What does that mean? I dont know. And yet the voters banned it anyway, El-Sayed said, dismissing the measure while appearing to minimize concerns about Sharias legal implications.
He went further, linking opposition to Sharia with a broader narrative of historical oppression in the United States. He added that the same exact forces that drove Native peoples from their land two centuries ago, destroyed Black Wall Street a century ago, bombed a building decades ago, and tried to ban Sharia law not a decade ago are alive and well today, effectively equating voters efforts to protect the Constitution from foreign legal codes with some of the darkest episodes in American history.
Breitbart News reported on August 12 that El-Sayeds campaign confirmed he continues to follow Sharia law in his personal life, after resurfaced 2009 comments in which he described adherence to Sharia as a lifelong obligation. Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I dont want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way, El-Sayed told the at the time.
Not because of fear but because of obligation.
Campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner attempted to reassure voters by stating that Abdul believes in the separation of church and state, insisting that while he personally follows his faith, he opposes any effort by any religious community to write their faith laws into the laws of our country. Yet during his failed 2018 campaign for Michigan governor, El-Sayed denied ever saying he was Sharia-compliant and later told filmmakers, Were trying to keep the shot secular, a discrepancy that raises questions about transparency and consistency.
Breitbart News also reported in August that El-Sayed argued in 2025 remarks that U.S. conduct abroad can contribute to terrorism, a framing that critics say risks shifting blame from jihadist ideology to American policy. I think too often, the way [America has] engaged in the world has been that we set up this rules-based international order, and then we break the rules of the rules-based international order, and that creates a situation where there are a lot of people who look at us and say thats hypocritical and thats wrong, El-Sayed said, suggesting that perceived U.S. hypocrisy fuels resentment.
He went on to ask what moves somebody into terrorism and how is it that were behaving that may get somebody to think that we dont see them, and thats creating pain? The report also noted El-Sayeds association with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said that America deserved 9/11, a connection that is likely to alarm voters who expect their leaders to condemn, not rationalize, anti-American violence.
Against this backdrop, the alleged ISIS-linked plot against Rep. Self underscores the real-world stakes of the ideological battle over Sharia and radical Islam. As lawmakers like Self and Roy push to reaffirm the Constitution as the nations sole governing charter, and as some on the left downplay or relativize the threat, the question facing voters is whether they will side with those who insist that Sharia is dangerous or with those who treat concerns about it as overblown or bigoted.
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