- Karem Nasr, a US citizen, was arrested and charged by the US Department of Justice with attempting to support the Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab.
- Nasr was taken into custody in Kenya on December 14, 2023, and was brought to the United States on Thursday.
- He is charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
A New Jersey man arrested in Kenya has been charged with attempting to support the Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab, saying Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel was a motive for the violence, the U.S. Justice Department said. announced that it was claiming.
The arrests come amid an escalation in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in the wake of the Israel-Gaza war, and a rising terrorist threat level in the United States.
Karem Nasr, a U.S. national who immigrated to Egypt from New Jersey around July, was detained in Nairobi on Dec. 14 and brought to the U.S. on Thursday, the Justice Department said in a statement Friday.
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Prosecutors say the 23-year-old is charged with “attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The FBI seal hangs in the flag room at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2007. In communications with confidential FBI sources and online postings, Mr. Nasr said he had been considering “joining a jihad for a long time.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The United States designates al-Shabaab as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
“As alleged, Karem Nasr was motivated by the heinous terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7 to pursue a violent jihad against the United States and its allies,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. Stated.
Nasr was “eager to join and train al-Shabab,” prosecutors said.
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In correspondence with confidential FBI sources and in online posts, Nasr said he had “long considered joining jihad, but the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel made it difficult for me to join jihad.” I felt a strong motivation to become a warrior.” ” added the prosecutor.
The Justice Department said Nasr took steps to join al-Shabab and receive training, met with members of the organization in Kenya, and plans to travel to Somalia to join the group. He was detained by Kenyan authorities.
It is not clear whether Mr. Nasr has legal representation.
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The Justice Department said it is monitoring the growing threat against Jews and Muslims in the United States due to soaring levels of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia related to the Middle East wars.
In early December, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the threat level had increased so much that there were “lights flashing everywhere.”
