RALEIGH, N.C. \u2013 A North Carolina woman has been charged with participating in a conspiracy to attack members of a Texas synagogue designed to \u201ckill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation,\u201d according to court documents. <\/p>\n
Angelina Han Hicks, 18, of Lexington, was being held Thursday in the Davidson County jail under a $10 million bond, jail records show. <\/p>\n
Hicks was arrested Wednesday and formally charged with conspiring with two men to commit murder and assault at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston on April 21, 2028, according to warrants laying out two felony counts against her. <\/p>\n
The men were identified on Hicks’ warrants only by their first names, listing their last names as \u201cunknown.\u201d Alan Martin, the county’s senior assistant district attorney, said on Thursday he doesn’t know whether the men are in custody.<\/p>\n
While the warrants point to a potential attack two years from now, Martin said in an interview that early Tuesday there had been “some concern that there could be an imminent event\u201d targeting the Houston synagogue. <\/p>\n
Explaining why Hicks’ detention was necessary, District Court Judge Carlton Terry wrote Wednesday that the two other suspects had not been arrested and that the alleged \u201cconspiracy is to kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAllowing a co-conspirator a chance to communicate with either of those individuals or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk,\u201d Terry added.<\/p>\n
A potential motive for the planned violence wasn’t immediately disclosed in North Carolina court documents. Martin said Thursday, \u201cAt this point, I have no idea\u201d why Congregation Beth Israel \u2014 over 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) from Lexington \u2014 would have been targeted. The investigation is continuing. <\/p>\n
Attempts to speak by phone with Hicks\u2019 court-appointed attorney were unsuccessful early Thursday. The lawyer, Chad Freeman, told the Houston Chronicle<\/a> that the case was in its early stages and Hicks’ youth could be a factor in her defense.<\/p>\n \u201cI anticipate getting numerous experts involved in the case to look at both investigatory and possible forensic matters,\u201d Freeman told the newspaper. Her next scheduled hearing is May 13.<\/p>\n