An armed man with body armor, knives and suspicious writings that included the words “You gonna learn today” was arrested Wednesday in New York City.
Police took the man into custody around 4:30 a.m. during a traffic stop in Queens, four law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
His identity has not been released.
Details surrounding the man’s intent, where he was going or why he had the weapons remain unclear. Investigators are looking into whether he has a history of emotional issues and if he was trying to self-radicalize in the name of terrorism.
It’s also not clear why police conducted a traffic stop. The man was apparently armed with a gun, body armor, knives and other weapons, the law enforcement officials said. He also had writing, one of which said: “You gonna learn today.”
The New York City Police Department is the lead investigation. Because of the items found and other evidence gathered, the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and other law enforcement agencies have been notified.
The arrest comes after eight men from Tajikistan with potential ties to ISIS were taken into custody over the weekend in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
The suspects had been on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force radar and were arrested by personnel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News on Tuesday.
The suspects have not been charged with a terrorist connection or plot. The FBI alerted ICE the men should be arrested because of their potential ties to ISIS, and they were arrested on immigration charges, according to two sources.
The men face removal proceedings before an immigration judge, and could later face terrorism-related charges, two sources said.