New York man arrested for allegedly trying to join ISIL
A 42-year-old American from a New York town has been arrested for allegedly trying to travel to Syria and Iraq to join the ISIL terrorist group, according to federal law enforcement officials.
Arafat Nagi was charged on Wednesday with attempting to provide material support and personnel to the terrorist organization, the US Department of Justice said.
Prosecutors said that he pledged allegiance to the Takfiri group in Iraq and Syria, and its head Abu Bakr al Bagdadi.
The man from the town of Lackawanna travelled to Turkey in 2012 and 2014 in a bid to meet ISIL terrorists. He allegedly bought quantities of military apparel and combat kit prior to flying.
Prosecutors alleged that the things Nagi purchased, included body armor, a hunting knife, machete and night vision goggles.
However, it was unclear whether he could ever meet any members of the terrorist group.
According to prosecutors, Nagi could end up getting 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
FBI Director James Comey said earlier this month that about 200 Americans have traveled or attempted to travel to Syria to join the ISIL terrorist group, where the United States and its regional allies have been sponsoring militants fighting against the Assad government for more than four years.
Addressing an audience at the Aspen Security Forum last week, Comey warned that ISIL has influenced a significant but unknown number of Americans through its year-long propaganda on social media urging sympathizers to carry out attacks where they are.
"ISIS has become a bigger threat to the United States than al-Qaeda," Comey said, using another acronym for the terrorist group.
Twitter handles affiliated with ISIL have more than 21,000 English-language followers across the globe, the FBI chief added.
The FBI chief warned that the ISIL recruiters are using encryption technology to evade US eavesdropping. "I worry very much about what I can't see."
The ISIL terrorists, many of whom were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.
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