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Arizona woman in custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit terrorism

Posted at 5:40 PM, Oct 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-14 01:22:41-04

A Valley woman is in custody stemming from suspicion of conspiracy to commit terrorism.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation served two search warrants Wednesday morning in Chandler and Florence. 

Michelle Bastian was arrested in connection to the incident, officials said. 

Bastian previously spent two years behind bars in Maricopa County after being convicted of felony theft.

While in prison in 2014, Bastian married her husband, Thomas Bastian.

Thomas was convicted of killing Travis Hartline-Seffern in 2007 to cash-in on the victim's life insurance policy. He was sentenced to life in prison. 

It's believed that one of the search warrants was served at his Florence home, where Bastian also lives.

Sources tell ABC15 that Bastian has recently taken to Facebook to complain about being denied visitation at the Arizona State Prison Complex. 

No additional information was released.

The investigation comes less than a week after Mahin Khan, 18, pled guilty to terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism and conspiracy to commit misconduct involving a weapon.

Khan is accused of writing e-mails to an alleged member of the Pakistan Taliban, seeking weapons and instructions for a pipe bomb, and plotting to blow up an Arizona motor vehicle location. 

Under the plea agreement, Khan will spend up to a decade behind bars for the conspiracy to commit terrorism charge, and an additional two years for conspiracy to commit misconduct involving weapons.

His sentencing is slated for Nov. 4.