An Islamic State sympathizer planned to assassinate former US President George W. Bush, but the conspiracy was uncovered by the FBI, according to US officials.

An Islamic State sympathizer planned to assassinate former US President George W. Bush, but the plan was discovered by the FBI (US Federal Police), according to US officials.

The suspect, who resides in Ohio, allegedly tried to fly Iraqi agents across the border from Mexico to the United States for the operation.

He is currently in custody and appears in federal court in Ohio on Tuesday (5/24). The FBI used informants and electronic surveillance to foil the plan.

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The suspect, identified as 52-year-old Shihab Ahmed Shihab, is an Iraqi national who has been in the United States since 2020 and has a pending asylum application, according to court documents.

The FBI said Shihab had told an alleged secret human smuggler that he belonged to a Qatar-based group known as Al-Raed (meaning “thunder in Arabic”).

In conversations with an FBI source, Shihab said he wanted to assassinate Bush to “kill too many Iraqis” and “destroy” Iraq.

He added that he hopes to personally participate in the operation and does not care if he dies as he would be proud to be involved.

Shihab allegedly sought fake police badges and asked if militants could illegally cross the Mexican border to conduct the operation and then return illegally to escape.

The two people he hoped to bring to the United States were identified as former Iraqi intelligence agents experienced in assassination operations.

Shihab was also allegedly in contact with a second FBI source, who claimed to be a client of the fake smuggler. Both informants recorded conversations with him.

Shihab told sources he hoped to use his human-smuggling service to bring ISIS members to the United States, but said he was not accused of being a member of the terrorist group.

At one point, Shihab and one of the informants traveled to Dallas to shoot a video of the Bush residence and the George W. Bush Institute.

In March 2022, he allegedly held a meeting to review fake guns and police uniforms in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio.

He now faces 10 years in prison for trying to illegally bring someone into the United States, and 20 years in prison for being complicit in the attempted murder of a former US official.

A spokesperson for Bush said that the former president “has all the world’s trust in the US Secret Service, law enforcement and our intelligence communities.”

The BBC contacted the FBI but received no response.

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