The the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged a New York City man with providing material support to the Islamic State group.
Charges against Sajmir Alimehmeti, 22, were filed in a federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday and the suspect is scheduled to appear in court later today.
A spokeswoman for the agency said Mr. Alimehmeti, a naturalized citizen from the Bronx, was apprehended Tuesday morning.
“Agents said he had ISIS flags in his apartment along with ISIS videos on his phone and computer. They tell us Alimehmeti tried getting a fake passport to fly to Syria, and that his intentions were to train and fight with terrorists,” a reporter for a local CBS affiliate said from outside the Manhattan courtroom.
Court documents show the FBI and New York Police Department began meeting with Mr. Alimehmeti in 2015 while posing as members of the terrorist group. The suspect told two agents last week that he saved $2,500 for a trip to Syria but still needed a passport, Reuters reported.
“Alimehmeti is charged today with actions that show a clear intention to support a terrorist organization that is hell-bent on murder and mayhem,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Tuesday.
“I didn’t even know about him, and that’s scary,” neighbor Peter Midas told WCBS-2. “Very scary.”
Mr. Alimehmeti’s lawyer could not be immediately reached by the news agency for comment.
Roughly 90 people have faced U.S. charges related to Islamic State ties since 2014, Reuters reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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