Local gun shop owner unwittingly sold gun to ISIS supporter

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It's not surprising that there's ISIS activity in Houston, but it's still very concerning to hear about it. Tonight a Houston-area gun store owner tells Fox26 he unwittingly sold a gun to a member of ISIS. He says he learned about the sale 3 to 4 months ago, when an FBI agent paid a visit.

“Basically, they had a serial number of a weapon that had been purchased through my store,” the man told Fox26.  “They were just trying to find out who it was sold to.”

The store owner says the agent informed him that the gun buyer was a member of ISIS who was arrested along with three others around the same time. He says the agent also explained one way members of the terrorist network are able to fly under the radar.                

“He informed me that he [the ISIS member] had about 15 passports on him, all legit, all in the system.” He said.  “I was pretty shocked at  that, and he said, ‘Yeah. With money you can buy as many as you want.’”

The store owner says an employee made the sale, but followed all the appropriate procedures. “We didn't do anything illegal,” he said. “We did everything above and beyond but there's only so much I can do.”

The gun store owner told Fox26 he did not know  when the arrest was made, but says, he’s glad that some terrorist activities are being prevented.

“They are arresting them, and they are watching them, and they called it a cell here in Houston,” the man said.
Nevertheless, he claims the agent indicated to him there were more ISIS members in the area plotting an attack in Houston. “He told me to be aware of my surroundings, because something's coming into Houston. Something's going to happen.”

James Comey, the director of the FBI, has said on the record that ISIS operates in every state in the country, but the FBI’s Houston office said it could not verify  the specific claims by this store owner.

"We have no record of an arrest for federal terrorism charges within our territory during that time period,” the Houston FBI officer responded in a written quote. “ While the agents and officers of our Joint Terrorism Task Force work 24-7 to keep our community safe and follow-up on each and every lead, there is no specific or credible information to indicate a threat to the Houston territory at this time.”

The store owner believes this is good information for the public.  At least he can vouch for agents having some success getting some terrorists off the street.