The US Department of Justice said a New Jersey man arrested in Kenya has been charged with attempting to help the extremist movement Al-Shabaab carry out acts of violence, amid reports that the attack Hamas against Israel on October 7 had “excited him.”
The arrest comes amid a rise in hate incidents, following the war between Israel and Hamas which has raised terrorist threat levels in the United States.
The Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Friday that Karim Nasr, an American citizen, was arrested in Nairobi on December 14 and transferred to the United States on Thursday.
The 23-year-old was charged with “attempting to provide material support to a foreign organization classified as a terrorist organization”, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the prosecutor’s office announced.
The United States classifies Al-Shabaab as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
US Attorney Damian Williams said: “Karim Nasr, motivated by the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, is said to have turned to violent jihad against America and its allies.”
Prosecutors said Nasr traveled to Kenya “with the intent to join Al-Shabaab and train with it.”
They added that in communications with a confidential FBI source and in online posts, Nasr said he had been thinking about “engaging in jihad for a long time, and that the October 7 Hamas attack in particular was the catalyst for him become a jihadist. “
The Justice Ministry said Nasr had taken steps to join Al-Shabaab and receive training with it, as well as planning to meet with members of the movement in Kenya to travel to Somalia to join the group, but Kenyan authorities have arrested.
The Justice Department says it is monitoring growing threats against Jews and Muslims in the United States amid high levels of hatred related to the war in the Middle East.
2023-12-30 04:43:25
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