In what may be the first public case in New York involving terrorists possibly joining ISIS, authorities arrested three men in Brooklyn who were reportedly preparing attacks in the US.

The FBI arrested three Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday. Reports indicate that a confidential informant at an unidentified mosque helped expose the group. The three terrorists were reportedly preparing attacks in the US as an alternative if they would not succeed in joining ISIS in Syria.

Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, Akhror Saidakhmetov and Abror Habibov said they were motivated by the Islamist teachings that require Muslims to engage in jihad for the sake of a “global caliphate,” not by economic difficulties and other challenges.

Juraboev, 24, a citizen of Uzbekistan, frequented an Uzbek website that implored viewers to join ISIS. He reportedly had a ticket to travel to Istanbul next month to join ISIS in Syria but was arrested in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors said.

Motivated by Islam

On August 8, Juraboev wrote a post on the website under a pseudonym talking about his desire to “strike fear in hearts of infidels.”

“Greetings! We too want to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present there,” he wrote, according to federal authorities. “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.”

The FBI reportedly saw the message and traced the IP address to his Brooklyn residence. He admitted to the authorities that he was an ISIS supporter and wanted to join the terrorist group in Syria. He said he would kill Obama or bomb Coney Island if ISIS asked him to do so.

The indictment summarizes his explanation: “While admitting that he does not like President Obama because of his role in killing Muslims through his support of Israel and the recent bombing of ISIL [the Islamic State], Juraboev stated that he would not kill President Obama because of ill will towards him, but rather because of Allah.”

Juraboev also provided the FBI with a written statement about his beliefs. One part of the testimony reads, “Islamic right is fighting under caliphate against polytheists and infidels,” including Christians.

The second suspect, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, from Kazakhstan, also voiced support for ISIS and posted on the Uzbek website, praising the clips claiming that the Islamic State is fulfilling “end of times” prophecies. He was arrested at Kennedy Airport, where he had been attempting to board a flight to Istanbul en route to Syria, authorities said.

In September 2014, a confidential informant for the FBI at an unidentified mosque approached Juraboev and pretended to support ISIS. The informant met Saidakhmetov the next day and the three discussed plans to join ISIS in Syria by traveling through Turkey.

Their conversations were recorded by the informant, proving vital information on how the two suspects were planning terrorist plots inside the US. One of their ideas was to join the US military in order to share battlefield knowledge with the Islamic State, but Juraboev doubted whether Saidakhmetov would be able to carry through with the plan. Although Saidakhmetov professed that he would open fire on US soldiers if caught, the plan was eventually scrapped.

Saidakhmetov also vowed that he would go on a shooting spree against police officers and the FBI headquarters if blocked from going to Syria.

The third suspect, an Uzbek named Abror Habibov, 30, is an Islamic State supporter who was willing to sponsor the other two to go to Syria.

If convicted, each faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton said this was the first public case in New York involving possible terrorists joining ISIS, but he hinted at ongoing investigations. “This is real,” Bratton said. “This is the concern about the lone wolf, inspired to act without ever going to the Mideast.”

ISIS – a Growing Threat in the US?

(Shutterstock)

Loretta Lynch, Obama’s candidate to be U.S. attorney general, said, “The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies.”

Earlier this week, the FBI arrested Abdirahman S. Mohamud in Ohio for conspiring to provide material aid to terrorists in the Middle East, the Clarion Project reports. The authorities did not disclose which group he supported. They apparently had a fear of something imminent as they filed charges in the local Common Pleas Court so there would be “quick action.” Additional charges are forthcoming.

The Justice Department arrested five Bosnian terror suspects only a couple of weeks ago for their ties to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra. A sixth suspect who was indicted had already left the country.

In January, Islamic State supporter Christopher Lee Cornell was arrested in Ohio on charges of planning to attack on Capitol Hill. The authorities found two semi-automatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition in preparation for the assault.

Altogether, 10 Islamist terror suspects in America have been arrested this year, and all but one had links to the Islamic State, the Clarion Project reports.

By: United with Israel Staff

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