Three Brooklyn men charged in plot to join ISIS, commit acts of terror in United States, Feds say
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Three Brooklyn residents were charged with attempting to join the Islamic State and discussing acts of terrorism ranging from the murder of FBI agents to assassinating the president, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday in at federal court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors said two of the men -- Akhor Saidakhmetov and Hasanovich Juraboev -- were about to travel to Turkey and then Syria to join the Islamic terror group, while defendant Abror Habibov was helping to fund their efforts.
In postings on a website that supports Islamic State, Juraboev said he would commit an act of terror such as killing the U.S. president if ordered to do so, and Saidakhmetov expressed an intent to buy a machine gun and kill FBI agents or police if his plan to travel to Syria was thwarted, according to prosecutors.
DocumentsSee the criminal complaint
Saidakhmetov, 19, who was arrested Wednesday at Kennedy Airport, and Juraboev, 24, are scheduled to appear in court in Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon. Habibov, 30, was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida. Habibov and Juraboev are citizens of Uzbekistan, and Saidakhmetov is a citizen of Kazakhstan.
The government said Habibov operates kiosks that sell kitchenware and repair mobile phones at retail malls in Virginia, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and employed Saidakhmetov in 2014.
The complaint cited a posting this past August by Juraboev on Hilofatnews, a website that supports Islamic State, in which he wrote:
"We too wanted to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present there. I am in USA now but we don't have any arms. 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? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels."
Agents interviewed Juraboev at the time at his home in Brooklyn, and he told them he supported Islamic State's desire to establish a caliphate, and if ordered to do so was prepared to kill President Barack Obama or plant a bomb on Coney Island, but he did not have an "imminent plan" to do so.
The complaint did not explain why he was not charged at the time, but said federal agents continued to monitor him and his communications with the two other men, and used an informant who approached him at a mosque.
On Feb. 19, the complaint said, Saidakhmetov bought a ticket to travel to Turkey on Feb. 25. Juraboev had allegedly bought a ticket to depart for Turkey on March 29, but was in the process of changing the date so he could travel with Saidakhmetov.
The three each face up to 15 years in prison on charges of attempting and conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State.
Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, the nominee for attorney general awaiting confirmation, said, "The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies ... Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice."
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Published time: February 25, 2015 19:05
Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Three Brooklyn men accused of planning to join Islamic State in Syria have been arrested by authorities in the United States. Had they failed to join the extremist group, the men allegedly planned to return to the US and wage attacks there.
The men — Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, also known as “Abdulloh Ibn Hasan,” Akhror Saidakhmetov and Abror Habibov, according to an affidavit — were arrested overnight Tuesday evening and named in a criminal complaint unsealed in the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday. They are expected in court later that day.
Juraboev, 24, Saidakhmetov, 19, and Habibov, 30, are all residents of Brooklyn. Saidakhmetov is a Kazakh national while Habibov and Juraboev are Uzbek nationals. All three face charges of attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to the group calling itself Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
"The defendants looked to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by flying to Turkey in a vain attempt to evade detection," said Diego Rodriguez, the Federal Bureau of Investigation assistant director in charge.
"And several of the defendants planned to commit acts of terror here – in America – if they could not travel, to include killing FBI agents. The defendants violated the true tenants [sic] of their faith in pursuit of their radical, violent agenda.”
The group first came under suspicion in August 2014, when Juroboev posted on an Uzbek-language website common for spreading ideology associated with Islamic State. Juraboev and Saidakhmetov planned to go to Turkey, then Syria, "for the purpose of waging jihad on behalf of ISIL," the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Saidakhmetov was arrested at JFK airport, where he planned to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, according to a statement published Wednesday by the Justice Department. Juraboev allegedly purchased a ticket to fly to Istanbul next month and was apprehended in New York, and Habibov — accused of helping to pay for Saidakhmetov's travel, according to the DOJ — was apprehended in Florida.
Juraboev was allegedly prepared to "engage an act of terrorism" in the US if ordered by Islamic State, the Justice Dept. claimed. Saidakhmetov “intended to commit such an act if unable to travel abroad to join ISIL."
Juraboev allegedly wrote on an ISIS website in August 2014 that he would kill the US president if asked to do so, and Saidakhmetov said he would "buy a machine gun and shoot police officers.”
“The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and our allies," said US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch, soon to be the US Attorney General.
"As alleged in the complaint, two of the defendants in this case sought to travel to Syria to join ISIL but were also prepare to wage violent jihad here in the United States. A third defendant allegedly provided financial assistance and encouragement. We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them. Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here and abroad, will face the full force of American justice."
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
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Three men from Brooklyn have been arrested and charged with trying to join the Islamic State, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court on Wednesday.
Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, Akhror Saidakhmetov and Abror Habibov conspired “to provide material support and resources…to a foreign terrorist organization,” the complaint said.
Saidakhmetov was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while trying to fly to Istanbul, Turkey, where authorities say he planned to head to the border with Syria to meet with representatives from the Islamic State. The FBI also says that Jurabov was planning to fly to Istanbul next month, and added that Habibov was helping finance some of these travel efforts.
Juraboev, 24, and Habibov, 30, are both citizens of Uzbekistan; Saidakhmetov, 19, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. The complaint says that Juraboev and Saidakhmetov, who are set to appear Wednesday at the U.S. courthouse in Brooklyn, are legal, permanent residents of the country; Habibov, who is not described that way, is scheduled to appear at the U.S. courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla.
“The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies,” Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney who oversees Brooklyn and the Obama administration’s nominee to be the next attorney general, said in a statement. She continued, “We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them.”
The three men each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIL or ISIS.
“The charges against Juraboev, Saidakhmetov and Habibov reflect our commitment to finding those who wish to provide material support to ISIL, as well as those committed to fighting on behalf of ISIL, either at home or abroad, and preventing them from doing so,” John P. Carlin, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s National Security division, said in a statement.
Federal agents visited Jurabov at his home last August after seeing postings on a Web site that promoted Islamic State to Uzbek audiences, the complaint said. These postings discussed whether someone in the United States could swear an oath to Islamic State and discussed killing President Obama.
Jurabov told the agents that he wrote those messages, said he would travel to Syria if he had the means and said that, given the opportunity, he would harm Obama, according to the complaint. He also told agents about Saidakhmetov, who he said was a friend with the same views and the same desire to help Islamic State.
Investigators also found that the two men had sought information about how to travel to areas controlled by Islamic State and that they had discussed traveling through Turkey to cross the border with Syria. In December, Juraboev and Saidakhmetov, with Habibov’s help, bought tickets to travel to Turkey in February and March, the complaint says.
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Mark Berman is a reporter on the National staff. He runs Post Nation, a destination for breaking news and developing stories from around the country.
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“The youngest man, identified in a criminal complaint as Akhror Saidakhmetov, allegedly posted on an Uzbek-language website in the last six months that he would buy a machine gun and shoot police officers and FBI agents if his plan to join ISIS was thwarted,” reports NBC News. “In August 2014, 24-year-old suspect Abdurasul Hasanofvich Juraboev, posted on the board that he would kill President Obama if ISIS asked him to.”
The plot is described as “aspirational, not operational,” but sounds like the early stages were operating quite well, as Saidakhmetov was arrested at JFK Airport trying to get on a plane to Istanbul. Juraboev’s plane ticket would have put him in Turkey a month later. Their travel was funded by the third suspect, Abror Habibov, who “operated a domestic support network.” That sounds “operational” by definition.
These individuals were apparently inspired by the Islamic State’s social media outreach program, including Tweets and forum posts calling for “lone wolf” jihadis to launch attacks in America and Europe. Fox News reports that “two of the men came to the attention of law enforcement last summer after they expressed online support for the groups.” They have been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State, and could be looking at up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The UK Daily Mail quotes Saidakhmetov’s mayhem plans, laid out to a criminal informant, in greater detail. If he could not get into Syria, he said he would “just go buy a machine gun, AK-47, and shoot all police.” He had a four-stage plan in mind: “It is legal in American to carry a gun. We will go and purchase one handgun and then go and shoot on police officer. Boom! Then we will take his gun, bullets, and bulletproof vest. Then we will do the same with a couple of others. Then we will go to the FBI headquarters and kill the FBI people.”
The New York Daily News has a quote from a post Juraboev allegedly left on an ISIS-aligned website:
We too wanted to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present [in Syria.] I am in USA now but we dont have any arms. Is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I’m saying is to shoot Obama and then get shot oursleves, will it do? That will strike fear in the heart of infidels.
They do not sound like the most polished of terror operatives. Then again, “lone wolf” jihad does not require much in the way of clever strategy or slick tradecraft. The Daily News ends its report with the sobering recollection that NYPD counter-terrorism chief John Miller warned back in June that there were more than 100 would-be jihadis lurking in the Big Apple.
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WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials say three Central Asian men residing in Brooklyn were arrested on charges they planned to provide material support for Islamic State (IS) militants.
Two of the men, Abdurasul Juraboev, 24, of Uzbekistan, and Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, of Kazakhstan, allegedly planned to travel to Syria through Turkey to fight alongside IS militants.
The Justice Department alleges in a criminal complaint unsealed on February 25 that Juraboev was also prepared to engage in an act of terrorism in the United States if ordered by IS, and Saidakhmetov intended to commit a terrorist act if unable to travel abroad.
Officials said Juraboev claimed he would kill U.S. President Barack Obama if IS told him to do so.
Saidakhmetov offered to buy guns and shoot police officers and FBI agents if he could not go to Syria, according to the complaint.
A third man, Abror Habibov, 30, also of Uzbekistan, allegedly helped fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join IS.
The men are expected to appear in court in New York and Florida later on February 25.
If convicted, each man faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
U.S. intelligence officials believe that as many as 150 U.S. citizens have tried to fight with IS militants in Syria, as part of an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters joining the group or other extremist groups.
A civil war has been raging in Syria since 2011 and more than 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions have fled their homes.
"We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement, referring to the alternate name of the Islamic State group.
She added: "Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice."
Saidakhmetov was arrested early on February 25 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York attempting to board a flight to Istanbul.
He had allegedly gone to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security earlier in February to get a travel document.
Saidakhmetov reportedly called his mother on February 19 to ask for his passport and told her that "if a person has a chance to join Islamic State and does not go there, on judgment day he will be asked why, and that it is a sin to live in the land of infidels."
She is said to have hung up on him.
Juraboev was scheduled to leave for Turkey in March and had purchased a plane ticket.
The plans of the three charged were revealed in part by a paid confidential informant who met Juraboev and Saidkhametov at a mosque in September and appeared to be sympathetic to their cause.
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- Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, was arrested at JFK airport earlier today
- Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, arrested during a FBI raid in Brooklyn
- Abror Habibov, 30, was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, overnight
- At least two of the men planned to return to NY if they couldn't join ISIS
- All are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terror group
- Saidakhmetov and Juraboev expected in Brooklyn federal court later today
Published: 12:43 EST, 25 February 2015 | Updated: 14:37 EST, 25 February 2015
Three would-be ISIS terrorists from Brooklyn have been arrested for planning to kill FBI agents and police officers in New York City, authorities say - and one of the men allegedly offered to assassinate President Obama and bomb Coney Island.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn identified Abdurasul Juraboev, 24, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30, as having tried to orchestrate a terror outrage in the Big Apple in court papers filed on Wednesday.
Saidakhmetov, who is from Kazakhastan, was taken into custody at JFK International Airport early on Wednesday morning. He was trying to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey so that he could travel to Syria to join ISIS.
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One of the terror suspects arrested earlier today, Abdurasul Juraboev, said he would kill President Obama
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In addition to saying he would assassinate Obama, Juraboev said he would bomb Coney Island (pictured)
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At least two of the men, Juraboev, 24, and Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS
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Habibov, who is from Uzbekistan, was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida while Juraboev was apprehended in Brooklyn.
They have each been charged with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS and face up to 15 years in prison.
'Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice,' said Loretta Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn.
The terror trio came to the attention of authorities after they posted threatening messages to an Uzbek-language website, according to a criminal complaint filed in the US District Court in Brooklyn on Wednesday morning.
'We too wanted to pledge our allegience and commit ourselves while not present there,' one of the suspects using the name 'Abdulloh ibn Hasan' wrote on or around August 8, 2014.
'I am in USA now but we don't have any arms,' he wrote. '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?
'That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels.'
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Loretta Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said: 'Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice'
All three men live in Brooklyn.
In a recorded conversation in January, Saidakhmetovt told a criminal informant that if he couldn't get travel documents to Syria, he would 'just go buy a machine gun, AK-47, and shoot all police', according to the charging documents.
He continued: 'It is legal in American to carry a gun. We will go and purchase one handgun and then go and shoot on police officer.
'Boom.
'Then we will take his gun, bullets and bulletproof vest.
'Then we will do the same with a couple of others.
'Then we will go to the FBI headquarters and kill the FBI people.'
Brooklyn US Attorney Loretta Lynch said Saidakhmetov and Juraboev, of Uzbekistan, were planning to fight for ISIS in Syria.
The two men also had expressed a willingness to carry out attacks on U.S. soil on behalf of Islamic State, according to the criminal complaint.
Juraboev had purchased a plane ticket to Istanbul and was scheduled to fly on March 29.
Both are expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court later today.
Habibov, 30, of Uzbekistan, was accused of helping to fund Saidakhmetov's efforts to join ISIS.
He operates mall kiosks in Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Defense lawyers for the three men could not immediately be identified.
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Three men from Brooklyn, New York, were arrested and accused of plotting to wage jihad for ISIS, authorities said Wednesday. One of the men had offered to kill President Barack Obama if the militants asked him to, they said.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn identified the men as Abdurasul Juraboev, 24, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30. Juraboev and Habibov are Uzbek citizens, and Saidakhmetov is a citizen of Kazahkstan, the prosecutors said.
Juraboev and Saidakhmetov plotted to travel to Turkey and then to Syria to wage jihad, and Habibov helped pay for the plan, the prosecutors said. Saidakhmetov was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he tried to board a flight to Istanbul.
All three were arrested overnight. They were charged with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS. Each faces up to 15 years in prison.
Juraboev and Saidakhmetov were due in court in Brooklyn later in the day. Habibov appeared in court in Jacksonville, Florida, and was given a court date of March 3, NBC affiliate WTLV reported.
"Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice," said Loretta Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn.
Juraboev attracted the attention of law enforcement in August when he posted on a pro-ISIS website, the prosecutors said. In the posting, he offered to kill Obama if ISIS asked him to, they said. His plans also included planting a bomb on Coney Island, the FBI said.
Saidakhmetov had expressed an intention to shoot police officers and FBI agents if he couldn't join ISIS in Syria, the prosecutors said.
As NBC News reported in October, the Internet — and especially social media — is increasingly important both as a recruiting tool for terrorist groups and as a way for the FBI to stop would-be jihadis.
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BROOKLYN (WABC) --
The FBI has taken 3 Brooklyn men into custody for allegedly plotting to join ISIS and help the terror group in the U.S. if they could not get overseas.
The suspects will appear in federal court in Downtown Brooklyn this afternoon. The 3 men are charged with providing material support to ISIS.
The men have been identified as Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan; Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Kazakhstan; and Abror Habibov, 30, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan.
Officials say Juraboev and Saidakhmetov first came to the attention of law enforcement during the summer of 2014 after they expressed their online support for the establishment by force of an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
Saidakhmetov intended to commit acts of terrorism on American soil if they were unable to travel abroad to join ISIS, according to authorities. In an August 2014 posting on an Uzbek-language website that propagates ISIS's ideology, Juraboev allegedly offered to kill the President of the United States if ordered to do so by ISIS:
"I am in USA now ... 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? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels."
A week later, FBI met with Juraboev twice. He allegedly told them that he believes in ISIS' terrorist agenda, and that he would like to go to Syria to fight with ISIS "if Allah wills." He also told them he would harm POTUS if he could, based on president's role in killing Muslims, his support for Israel, and recent bombings of ISIS. Juraboev allegedly said he didn't have an imminent plan to harm Obama, but that if anyone within ISIS told him to, he would.
More recently, authorities say Saidakhmetov expressed his intent to buy a machine gun and shoot police officers and FBI agents if thwarted in his plan to join ISIS in Syria.
Federal officials say Juraboev identified Saidakhmetov as a friend and co-worker with a shared ideology. The two exchanged messages on how to get overseas, and Saidakhmetov and an informant watched videos of Islamic State group training camps in Syria, according to court papers.
Habibov operates kiosks that repair phones and sell kitchenware in malls in Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Philadelphia. He employed Saidakhmetov last fall and winter and said he would help fund his travel, though he did not mention a specific sum of money, prosecutors said. The two were spotted in Brooklyn purchasing a ticket for Saidakhmetov to travel to Turkey, officials said.
One of the suspects was arrested at JFK Airport trying to board a flight to Turkey, while another was arrested in Florida just after midnight. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The Islamic State group largely consists of Sunni militants from Iraq and Syria but has also drawn fighters from across the Muslim world and Europe.
Federal officials have expressed alarm at the idea that Americans could travel to Syria to fight alongside the Islamic State group or train there and return to the United States to carry out attacks against the homeland.
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Some information from ABC News and The Associated Press
(Copyright ©2015 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Earlier today, a criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, Akhror Saidakhmetov, and Abror Habibov with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a foreign terrorist organization. The initial appearances of Juraboev and Saidakhmetov are scheduled for later today before United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. Habibov’s initial appearance will be held later today at the U.S. Courthouse, 300 North Hogan Street, Jacksonville, Florida.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).
As alleged in the complaint, Juraboev first came to the attention of law enforcement in August 2014 after he made a posting on an Uzbek-language website that propagates ISIL’s ideology. The investigation subsequently revealed that Juraboev and Saidakhmetov devised a plan to travel to Turkey and then to Syria for the purpose of waging jihad on behalf of ISIL. Saidakhmetov, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Kazakhstan, was arrested early this morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. Juraboev, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan, had previously purchased a plane ticket to travel from New York to Istanbul and was scheduled to leave the United States next month. Habibov, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan, helped fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join ISIL.
As alleged in the complaint, Juraboev was also prepared to engage in an act of terrorism in the United States if ordered to do so by ISIL, and Saidakhmetov intended to commit such an act if unable to travel abroad to join ISIL. In the August 2014 posting on the website that propagates ISIL’s ideology, Juraboev offered to kill the President of the United States if ordered to do so by ISIL. More recently, Saidakhmetov expressed his intent to buy a machine gun and shoot police officers and FBI agents if thwarted in his plan to join ISIL in Syria.
“The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “As alleged in the complaint, two of the defendants in this case sought to travel to Syria to join ISIL but were also prepared to wage violent jihad here in the United States. A third defendant allegedly provided financial assistance and encouragement. We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them. Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which comprises a large number of federal, state, and local agencies from the region.
“The charges against Juraboev, Saidakhmetov and Habibov reflect our commitment to finding those who wish to provide material support to ISIL, as well as those committed to fighting on behalf of ISIL, either at home or abroad, and preventing them from doing so,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division will continue to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters and financial resources to terrorist organizations operating in Iraq and Syria. I would like to commend all those whose tireless efforts helped bring these charges.”
“As alleged, the defendants looked to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by flying to Turkey in a vain attempt to evade detection. And one of the defendants was prepared to commit acts of terror here—in America—if he could not travel, to include killing FBI agents. The defendants violated the true tenants of their faith in pursuit of their radical, violent agenda. We rely on help from the community, the public, and religious leaders to be mindful of those who could be radicalized. We cannot do this alone,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez.
“ISIL calls on its followers to come fight for the terrorist organization in Syria,” said Police Commissioner Bratton, “and in messages to followers outside Syria, ISIL has called on them to attack police, intelligence officers, or the military in their home countries including the United States. By pledging allegiance to ISIL, these defendants allegedly conspired to fight for a designated foreign terrorist organization, either in Syria or even New York.” Commissioner Bratton commended the work of the detectives and agents of the JTTF and the guidance of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York throughout the investigation.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Solomon, Douglas M. Pravda, and Amanda Hector, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Danya Atiyeh of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The Defendants:
ABDURASUL HASANOVICH JURABOEV
Age: 24
Nationality: Uzbeki
Age: 24
Nationality: Uzbeki
AKHROR SAIDAKHMETOV
Age: 19
Nationality: Kazakh
Age: 19
Nationality: Kazakh
ABROR HABIBOV
Age: 30
Nationality: Uzbeki
Age: 30
Nationality: Uzbeki
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