Arizona grand jury indicts juvenile for planning attack at Phoenix Pride Festival
PHOENIX - Officials with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office say a grand jury has indicted a juvenile for planning to attack the Phoenix Pride Festival.
In a statement, MCAO said they arrested 17-year-old Marvin Aneer Jalo on charges of terrorism. Officials with MCAO have confirmed that Jalo will be tried as an adult.
Per the grand jury indictment that MCAO released, Jalo is indicted on a count of terrorism and a count of conspiracy to commit terrorism. The indictment alleges that Jalo "intentionally or knowingly did provide advice, assistance, direction or management of an act of terrorism to further the goals, desires, aims, public pronouncements, manifestos or political objective of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria."
"The defendant is currently being held on a $1 million cash-only bond," read a portion of MCAO's statement.
Officials said Jalo had "expressed his plan to attack the Phoenix Pride Festival" that happened this year.
"The investigation found that between November 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, Marvin Jalo participated in online chat rooms discussing the supplies necessary to make an improvised explosive device and then had those supplies shipped to him. He discussed his intent to make TATP (triacetone triperoxide), an unstable explosive that can propel shrapnel and other dangerous items outward, causing serious injury or death to people in the area," read a portion of MCAO's statement.
In a court audio recording we obtained, prosecutors said Jalo "posted various video of himself making the TATP" after the ingredients for the explosives were delivered to him in late November 2023, while "continuing to reference a desire to use those explosives." Prosecutors also said that on Telegram, Jalo had "conversations about making a RC-controlled bomb and attacking various targets, including in New York City."
Court documents reveal what led to suspect's arrest
Marvin Jalo (Courtesy: Maricopa County Sheriffs Office)
In court documents we received, it was revealed that Jalo was arrested for an "unrelated incident involving criminal damage and disorderly conduct-[domestic violence]."
Jalo, per the documents, was arrested while at his home in Buckeye. His mother told police that an argument had taken place after she discovered Jalo "in chat rooms, with the use of his cell phone, speaking with other subjects whom she described as terrorists, who had been conspiring to conduct a possible attack."
"Jalo spoke with police and confirmed he had been speaking with extremists, who were actively recruiting him. [Jalo] told police that he needed to gather more knowledge and better prepare himself before taking part in a terrorist event." read a portion of the documents, which were separate from the grand jury indictment that MCAO released.
Prosecutors said during the chats, Jalo said he had a ‘bomb drone’ that could be used to transport the explosives.
Teen accused of trying to attack Phoenix Pride
Prosecutors say the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Marvin Jalo, was indicted on terrorism charges by a grand jury. Jalo, who will be tried as an adult, is accused of plotting to attack the Phoenix Pride Festival, an annual LGBT+ event in Phoenix that happened last weekend.
What is the Phoenix Pride Festival?
Organizers of the Phoenix Pride describe it as "an annual celebratory and educational event commemorating the 'Stonewall Riots,' acknowledged as the beginning of the modern gay rights movement." Organizers also noted that while many communities celebrate Pride in June because of when the Stonewall Riots happened, Phoenix Pride takes place outside of June due to heat.
Per Phoenix Pride's website, 2024's edition of the Phoenix Pride Festival happened on Oct. 19 and 20. The annual Pride Parade, which is part of the festivities, happened on Oct. 20, and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs was one of the three grand marshals for the parade.
During a news conference organized to address the matter on Wednesday afternoon, officials with Phoenix Pride thanked local and federal law enforcement for getting ahead of the threat.
"It was stopped. It was stopped safely. It was stopped in time and our events were able to proceed safely and without incident, and that’s something important to the confidence of the community to know that we have partners who are watching our back," said Phoenix Pride Spokesperson Jeremy Helfgot. "We have to continue to fight for the rights that don’t yet exist to protect all of the most vulnerable among our community, and to continue to ward off the kinds of threats that we saw this weekend, born out of hatred, born out of ignorance, born out of spite."