Plotting terror in U.S.
Officials say one was arrested at Kennedy Airport, about to board a flight to Istanbul and then fly to Syria. That man was intending, the government said, to join ISIL, also referred to as ISIS, as a fighter. The other two were working on plans for attacks in New York and one of them also intended to fly to Syria and join ISIL.
The New York Times reports that each are immigrants from former Soviet republics. The three are Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, from Kazakhstan, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24 and Abror Habibov, 30, both from Uzbekistan.
Juraboev and Saidakhmetov are permanent residents of the United States and all three continue to hold passports from their native country.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release today saying the men were charged with “attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a foreign terrorist organization.”
Recruitment by online jihadists
They were recruited, officials said, by online jihadists and on Wednesday, James B. Comey, director of the FBI, told media he has “homegrown violent extremist investigations in every single state.”
Mr. Comey said the Islamic State is “putting out a siren song through their slick propaganda through social media that goes like this: ‘Troubled soul, come to the caliphate, you will live a life of glory, these are the apocalyptic end times, you will find a life of meaning here fighting for our so-called caliphate, and if you can’t come, kill somebody where you are.”
The government’s investigation of the three began with their discovery of a message on an Uzbek-language site that is supportive of ISIL called Hilofatnews. They believe the message was written by Juraboev.
“I am in USA now but we don’t have any arms,” the message read. “But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I’m saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do?”
Early in their investigation, federal officials used a paid informant to contact Juraboev and the others. That informant took part in planning with the three and his testimony will be a part of the case against them.
