Florida man accused of trying to recruit ISIS to attack college deans

A Florida man was arrested after allegedly trying to recruit ISIS to attack the deans of colleges he formerly attended.

Salman Rashid, 23, was arrested on charges of soliciting another person to commit a violent crime, according to a Monday release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Rashid allegedly attempted to call on ISIS members to target two deans from Miami-Dade College and Broward College. 

The FBI began tracking Rashid in April 2018 after his public Facebook posts indicated support for a “violent overthrow of democracy” and institution of Islamic law, according to court documents cited in the release.

Rashid allegedly asked an undercover FBI source in May 2019 to contact ISIS members to plan a terrorist attack on his behalf. During the planning process, Rashid said an attack on a religious building or nightclub would work, the release said.

A second FBI source reportedly told Rashid that they were a member of ISIS and agreed to move forward with the attack. Rashid chose the two deans at the colleges on or about Nov. 8 and 9, saying the supposed ISIS member should use explosives that were as big as possible, according to law enforcement.

If convicted, Rashid could face a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, according to the release. His pretrial detention hearing is Wednesday, and his arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 9. 

Rashid was suspended from Miami-Dade College after stalking a fellow student and sending her threatening messages, NBC News reported. He was expelled from Broward earlier this year after not disclosing the details of his departure from Miami-Dade.