Man arrested on suspicion of plot to storm White House in anti-tank rocket attack

Hasher Jallal Taheb was detained in undercover FBI sting while attempting to trade his car for guns and explosives

The White House

An aspiring Isis member who plotted to use an anti-tank rocket to storm the White House has been arrested in a sting, authorities in the US have said.

Hasher Jallal Taheb, of Cumming in Georgia, was detained by undercover FBI agents after meeting them to trade his car for guns and explosives to use in the attack.

He appeared before a court in Atlanta on Wednesday charged with attempting to destroy a building using explosives.

The 21-year-old planned to blow a hole in the presidential building with an AT4 before killing those inside with semi-automatic rifles, according to an FBI agent's affidavit filed for the hearing. He planned to wear a backpack with homemade bombs inside, the document asserts.

“He wanted to do as much damage as possible, and he expected to be a martyr, meaning he expected to die during the attack," it says.

The arrest came after local law enforcement received a tip-off from someone thought to be close to Taheb in March.

When the FBI launched an investigation, they discovered the suspect had hoped to travel abroad to fight with Isis but, after being unable to get a passport, had turned his attention to attacking the US instead.

Among his list of possible targets had been the Statue of Liberty and the White House.

He was arrested Wednesday after multiple meetings with undercover FBI agents posing as sympathisers.

He believed he was going to trade his vehicle for three rifles, three explosive devices and an anti-armor weapon, authorities say. Instead, after the deal was made, he was immediately arrested.

Chris Hacker, the special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Atlanta, said authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in the plot.

It was not immediately clear whether Taheb had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.