US man accused of trying to aid IS
A New York State man accused of plotting to kill members of the US military and others faces new charges that he tried to aid the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, of Rochester, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of attempting to provide material support and resources to the group that has been designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organisation, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Elfgeeh tried to assist three individuals in travelling to Syria to join and fight with the extremist group in 2013 and early 2014. Prosecutors said two of the individuals were co-operating with the FBI.
“Disrupting and holding accountable those who seek to provide material support to foreign terrorist organisations is and shall remain a critical national security priority,” said assistant attorney general for national security John Carlin.
Elfgeeh was arrested earlier this year by members of the FBI’s Rochester joint terrorism task force after authorities said he bought two handguns and two silencers as part of a plot to kill members of the US armed forces returning from war, as well as Shiite Muslims in the Rochester area.
The investigation included linking Elfgeeh’s home computer to tweets from alias Twitter accounts expressing support for al Qaida, violent holy war and Sunni insurgent groups in Syria, according to court papers.
The FBI said it had been investigating Elfgeeh, a naturalised US citizen from Yemen, since early last year.
