North Carolina woman arrested after allegedly planning attack on Houston-area Jewish school: FBI

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Two people were charged after allegedly planning an attack on a Jewish day school in Houston, according to the Charlotte office of the FBI.

FBI officials said 18-year-old Angelina Hicks is currently facing two state charges brought by the Davidson County Sheriff's Office in Lexington, North Carolina. A juvenile was also charged in Harris County.

Investigators said the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force began looking into the plans after receiving a tip from a North Carolina law enforcement agency.

The DCSO said that Hicks was arrested at her Lexington home after evidence was found showing she and others were planning a mass casualty event at a synagogue in Houston. The sheriff's office said the attack would've targeted Congregation Beth Israel.

Court documents out of North Carolina show that the conspiracy that Hicks was allegedly planning was to "kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue."

Hicks was arrested on Wednesday and charged with felony conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon to kill or commit serious injury and felony conspiracy to commit murder, according to Davidson County detectives. They added that Hicks is being held on a $10 million bond.

"Davidson County Sheriff's Office prioritizes partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to accomplish our public safety mission," said Sheriff Richie Simmons in a statement.

On Wednesday morning, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston said in a Facebook post that leadership at Congregation Beth Israel and The Shlenker School learned about threats against them through the Houston Police Department and decided to close the synagogue and school for the day. They added that authorities advised that other Jewish institutions throughout the Houston area were safe to remain open and that local law enforcement agencies were increasing patrols around them.

On Thursday, HPD's Major Offenders Unit said that it worked with the Alief ISD Police Department to arrest and charge a 16-year-old with conspiracy to commit capital murder. They did not say if there were any additional co-conspirators.

Officials said Hicks is scheduled to appear in court on May 12.

Eyewitness News is gathering the facts on this developing story.