elf said his wife, who spent 25 years as a military spouse, understood the potential risks involved.

 My wife was a military wife for 25 years. She sent me off several times and so she's taking it very seriously as well,  Self said.

He added that he has received threats before.

 We knew there were threats, but nothing has risen to the level of an arrest,  Self said.  That's what makes this different. And frankly, the seriousness of it, we understand it could have been a very serious incident from what we've been told. 

Despite the alleged threat, Self told NBC 5 he attended the event as planned.

 I judged 19 different chilies and three different pots of beans,  he said.  It was a delightful time and nothing, of course, happened. 

The congressman said he has continued campaigning as well.

 We continued our activities and just watched what was going on around us. I've been out poll greeting this morning. And every day I've been out poll greeting, meeting voters. So we're going to continue to go,  he said.  This will not deter me from what I think I need to be doing to alert the American people to this political ideology. So it won't deter me. We will continue to do our job. 

The arrest comes as Rep. Self has taken a prominent stance against Sharia law. In September, he introduced a nonbinding concurrent resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation in the United States. His resolution says the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

The congressman's district also includes McKinney, where debate surrounding plans for a new mosque has drawn considerable attention. In August, the McKinney City Council unanimously approved a site plan for expansion at a local mosque, saying the plans complied with the city's development rules. The vote followed hours of contentious public comment and was later followed by an effort to recall several council members.

Evan Hunt, Self's opponent in the midterm election, also condemned the alleged assassination plot in a post on social media.

Evan Hunt Evan Hunt

The teen's identity has not been publicly released as the investigation continues.