NYPD: Three Brooklyn Men Arrested on Way to Join ISIS
Federal and New York law enforcement officials say three Brooklyn men have been arrested and charged with attempt and conspiracy to aid the self-described Islamic State extremists.
Federal prosecutors say the three men are between the ages of 19 and 30, and of Uzbeki and Kazakh descent. They say one man was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, one was arrested in Brooklyn and one in Florida.
Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, were ordered held without bail Wednesday on charges of attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Saidakhmetov's attorney, Adam Perlmutter, said his client would plead not guilty and was a "young, innocent kid." Juraboev's attorney didn't comment.
The travel agent who sold a plane ticket to Saidakhmetov said the young man appeared to be a "regular American teenager." Bahri Caliskan said he booked a $571 roundtrip ticket to Turkey on Feb. 19.
A third suspect, 30-year-old Abror Habibov, is accused of supporting the plan. He appeared in federal court in Florida and was also held without bail.
According to a news release from the Brooklyn federal court, one of the suspects was prepared to commit terror acts here in America — including killing FBI agents and President Barack Obama — if he could not travel abroad.
Federal prosecutors say two of the men came to the attention of law enforcement last summer after they expressed online support for the groups.
