OAN Staff Lillian Mann and
6:22 PM – Friday, April 24, 2026
Authorities confirmed the arrest on Friday of an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy in connection with a chilling plot to attack Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest synagogue in Texas.
The conspiracy purportedly involved a plan to drive a vehicle into the Houston congregation with the explicit intent to “kill as many Jews as possible.”
Among the accused is 18-year-old Angelina Han Hicks, who was taken into custody on Wednesday in Lexington, North Carolina, following a joint investigation by the FBI and local law enforcement.
Hicks is currently being held under a $10 million bond and faces felony charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury. While court warrants initially indicated a projected attack date of April 21, 2028, investigators acted swiftly due to concerns over an immediate threat.
Davidson County Senior Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin emphasized that despite the future date mentioned in the documents, officials believed an imminent event was possible, necessitating the urgent intervention.
Hicks is alleged to have conspired with two male subjects, including an unnamed 16-year-old juvenile who was arrested in Houston and charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder. The plot led to the precautionary closure of the synagogue and its associated school earlier this week as authorities worked to neutralize the threat.
District Court Judge Carlton Terry wrote that the detention of Hicks was due to an alleged “conspiracy is to kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.”
“Allowing a co-conspirator a chance to communicate with either of those individuals or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk,” Terry added.
The co-conspirators were identified in court records only as “Teegan” and “Angel.”
Authorities went to Hicks’ home in Lexington on Wednesday just after 11 p.m. local time after obtaining evidence “showing Hicks and co-conspirators were planning a mass-casualty event at a synagogue in Houston,” the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
“Every day good cops around the country are acting quickly and saving lives… cutting off criminal actors before they can harm innocent Americans,” FBI Director, Kash Patel wrote in an X post.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston said it has been in contact with the FBI and Houston Police Department regarding the matter, prompting law enforcement agencies to increase patrols around Jewish institutions in the Houston area.
In contrast to the official allegations, Hicks’ father maintained his daughter’s innocence in an interview with local news station WGHP, dismissing the charges as “fabricated” and “over the top.”
He attributed the situation to her immersion in online role-playing, characterizing her not as a genuine threat, but as a harmless “fantasy video game player” whose actions were misunderstood.
While he acknowledged that the nature of her online planning was “dark” and expressed his family’s deep distress over her involvement, he remained adamant that she posed no real-world danger.
However, investigators with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office present a much more serious narrative, identifying the intended target as Congregation Beth Israel in Houston. This landmark synagogue, documented by the Texas State Historical Association as the oldest Jewish house of worship in the state, represents a cornerstone of the local community.
Beyond its historical significance dating back to the 1850s, the temple grounds also house The Shlenker School, an educational center serving children from infancy through the fifth grade, exemplifying the potential gravity of the alleged plot.
Hicks’ next hearing is scheduled for May 13th.
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