An armed man with body armor, knives and suspicious writings that included the words "You gonna learn today" was arrested Wednesday in New York City.
Police took the man into custody around 4:30 a.m. during a traffic stop in Queens, four law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
His identity has not been released.
Details about the man's intentions, where he was going or why he had the weapons remain unclear. Investigators are looking into whether he has a history of emotional issues and whether he was trying to self-radicalize in the name of terrorism.
It's also not clear why police conducted a traffic stop. The man was apparently armed with a gun, body armor, knives and other weapons, the law enforcement officials said. He also had writings, one of which said: "You gonna learn today."
The New York Police Department is the lead investigation. Because of the items that were found and other evidence that was gathered, the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and other law enforcement agencies have been notified.
Eight men from Tajikistan with potential ties to ISIS were arrested over the weekend in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
The suspects had been on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force radar and were arrested by personnel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News on Tuesday.
The suspects have not been charged with a terrorist connection or plot. The FBI alerted ICE that the men should be arrested because of their potential ties to ISIS, and they were arrested on immigration charges, two sources said.
The men face removal proceedings before an immigration judge, and they could later face terrorism-related charges, two sources said.
