Federal prosecutors announced that an Albanian with dual U.S. citizenship was charged with supporting ISIS and distributing guides on how to make bombs.
Erald Alimehmeti, 33, of Tirana, Albania, was arrested Friday in New York, according to the Justice Department. He lived in the Bronx before moving to Albania in 2014.
From 2015-19 and again from 2020-22, he served in an Albanian prison for weapons and assault offenses.
In between prison stints, Mr. Alimehmeti created and used accounts on encrypted messaging services and social media platforms where he regularly posted pro-ISIS propaganda and discussed training and planning for attacks on behalf of ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq, the Justice Department said in a release.
The feds said that in 2019 Mr. Alimehmeti showed interest in sniper-style attacks and sought participation from others on the platforms, asking if they knew the ballistics and formulas of sniping.
He also requested material in support of ISIS, including vests to hold ballistic plates, ammunition and knives, and described modifications he intended to make to his assault rifle.
The Justice Department said Mr. Alimehmeti “described his work compiling resources on mixing dangerous chemicals and making explosives to a confidential source and discussed how to make specific types of incendiaries to spray at innocent bystanders in a terrorist attack.”
And on an encrypted messaging service, he posted “dozens of links and downloadable documents” covering topics such as explosives, firearms, defensive tactics and outdoor survival.
Combined, the two federal charges against Mr. Alimehmeti carry a maximum prison sentence of up to 40 years.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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