New Jersey man accused of trying to help terrorist group faces 20 years in prison
Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A 23-year-old man originally from New Jersey is now charged with attempting to provide aid to the militant group al Shabaab and wage war against the United States, according to court documents released Friday.
Karrem Nasr was arrested in Kenya earlier in December and was scheduled to go before a magistrate judge in Manhattan federal court Friday afternoon, according to the indictment which was unsealed earlier in the day.
Nasr was motivated by the Oct. 7 attacks by the militant group Hamas on Israeli soil, according to court documents.
"As alleged, Karrem Nasr, motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement in the indictment.
Officials contend Nasr attempted to "provide material support" to al Shabaab, a Sunni Islamist military group based in Somalia.
The U.S. government has designated al Shabaab a foreign terrorist organization. The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks and kidnappings, including one this past June in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu that left nine people dead.
Nasr, who also went by the alias of Ghareeb Al-Muhajir, moved from New Jersey to Egypt in July before traveling to Kenya in an effort to join al Shabaab.
He was arrested by Kenyan officials in the capital of Nairobi on Dec. 14 and extradited Thursday to the United States.
Nasr, who is from Lawrenceville, N.J., ultimately planned to travel to Somalia from Kenya to seek military training from al Shabaab.
"Instead of embracing all that the United States had to offer him, Mr. Nasr allegedly moved abroad and committed himself to supporting a foreign terrorist organization," NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement.
"The provision of support to such a group -- particularly by an American citizen -- is a heinous threat to our entire country and way of life."
Nasr was "bent on joining and training with al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of death and destruction. Nasr was prepared to kill and be killed to support the jihadist cause, and in his own words, he described America as 'evil' and the 'head of the snake,'" Williams said in the statement issued Friday, which also includes redacted photos and messages reportedly posted by Nasr online.
Nasr was unknowingly communicating with a confidential FBI source at the time.
"Jihad on your home turf. Coming soon to a U.S. location near you," reads one of the messages shown in the unsealed indictment.
Friday's charges are the result of a joint operation between Kenyan authorities and U.S. federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies.
"Karrem Nasr traveled across the globe in an alleged attempt to join the ranks of a foreign terrorist organization -- an organization that has repeatedly expressed its desire to harm Americans around the world," FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said in a statement.
Nasr is charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
A trial date has not yet been set.
