Two men arrested in New York for plotting jihad

NEW YORK - Two men have been arrested at the J.F.K. international airport here for preparing to join terror outfits and wage jihad in Somalia, officials said.

Mohamed Mahmoud Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, both in their twenties, were arrested at the airport Saturday night as they prepared to take separate flights to Egypt on their way to Somalia “to join designated foreign terrorist organisation al-Shabaab and wage violent jihad,” Xinhua quoted federal prosecutors as saying in a statement Sunday.

The two have been charged with conspiring to kill, maim and kidnap people outside the US, according to court documents, CNN reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received a tip regarding the men’s activities, which said: “Every time they access the Internet, all they look for is all those terrorist videos. They keep saying that Americans are their enemies, that everybody other than Islamic followers are their enemies… and they all must be killed”.

As part of the investigation, an undercover officer with the New York Police Department “recorded numerous meetings and conversations” with the two men, the prosecutors said.

“During those meetings, they discussed a plan under which they would save thousands of dollars and physically condition themselves through paintball and other training, then acquire military gear and apparel for use overseas, and buy plane tickets to Egypt with the intent to travel to Somalia,” they said.

The two, if convicted, face a maximum sentence of life in prison.