(Tribune News Service) — Eight men from Tajikistan who were arrested this month over alleged ties to ISIS had reportedly sparked suspicion they were plotting a potential attack on U.S. soil, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

While there was no evidence confirming a specific terrorist attack had been planned, the chatter was troubling, CBS News reported Wednesday, citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As of Wednesday, the men were still in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, facing removal proceedings.

They were arrested over the course of multiple days on immigration charges and have not been charged with terrorism-related offenses.

When they originally crossed into the U.S. over the southwest border in 2023 and 2024, nothing connected them to the Islamic State terrorist group, officials said. After ICE arrested them for entering the country without legal documents, they were released and given a hearing date.

But when intelligence information came through of possible ISIS ties, an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force began investigating. By then, the men were residing in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities.

After months of surveillance, they were taken in as part of a joint operation between ICE and the task force.

“The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the FBI said in a email statement to the Daily News. “As the FBI and [the Department of Homeland Security] have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment.”

Just days before, FBI director Christopher Wray said the bureau had “disrupted multiple terrorist attacks in cities and communities around the country” during his tenure and that the “heightened risk of violence” in the U.S. before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel had only increased in the ensuing months.

“Since then, we’ve seen a rogues’ gallery of foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks against Americans and our allies,” Wray said during a congressional appropriations hearing.

Neither the FBI nor the Homeland Security Department had further comment Wednesday about the eight people in custody.

“We haven’t made any additional statements and we have not confirmed various news reports,” the FBI told The News.

With News Wire Services

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