A suspected jihadist has been captured with a terrifying trove of weapons and masks near a major airport in New York City.
Judd Sanson, 27, was arrested after police stopped him at LaGuardia Airport for an unclear license plate number and discovered the deadly cache.
According to police, a loaded 9mm gun, ammunition, knives, a machete, stun gun, whip, a bulletproof vest with an NYPD patch in it, an MTA vest and a baton with disturbing writing were found in his vehicle.
Sanson’s black Ford Explorer was stopped Wednesday in East Elmhurst in his native Queens.
He was stopped by an NYPD officer who saw a black handle protruding from a holster attached to Sanson’s right pant leg, District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
Suspected jihadist Judd Sanson was captured with a terrifying cache of weapons and masks just steps away from a major New York City airport
The officer asked if he had a knife, removed it from its holster and placed it on the console of the vehicle, she added.
This prompted the police to conduct a full search and that’s when they discovered the weapons stash.
A black fold-out baton was also found with the words ‘Left Me No Choice’, ‘You Gon Learn Today’ and an Arabic phrase meaning ‘Ask God for forgiveness’.
“If a person is stopped and found in possession of a loaded semi-automatic weapon, over 170 rounds of ammunition in total, multiple weapons, body armor, an NYPD patch and an MTA vest, just a few blocks from the airport , we are very concerned,” said District Attorney Katz.
“This investigation is ongoing and I thank the NYPD for arresting the defendant during a routine traffic stop before anything else happened.”
Sanson now faces gun and weapons charges, which could carry up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
According to police, a loaded 9mm gun, ammunition, knives, a machete, a stun gun, a whip, a bulletproof vest with an NYPD patch in it, an MTA vest and a baton with disturbing writing were discovered.
Sanson, 27, was arrested after police stopped him for an unclear license plate number and discovered the deadly cache
Police arrested him Wednesday in East Elmhurst, near LaGuardia Airport
He was believed to have been living in the car before he was arrested.
A friend told me New York Post that he was surprised by the allegations against Sanson, whom he described as a ‘quiet boy’.
‘He talks about positivity. I’m so shocked. “I honestly don’t know what to think,” he said.
‘He never spoke of violence or terrorist plans. I think something snapped in his head.
‘He never talks about his problems. Judd was always hard on himself. He has a strong accent, he was ashamed of it. People bullied him at school because of his accent.”
Sanson originally comes from a Catholic family in the Philippines, but recently converted to Islam, according to the friend.
The father of two also appears to be a tattoo artist who posts
The friend added that local shopkeepers had warned him that there was “something wrong” with Sanson, but that he had dismissed their concerns.
Sanson is currently being held without bail at Rikers Island and is scheduled to appear in court later today.