According to a criminal complaint released on Monday, Nader Saadeh had shown allegiances with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for months, and had traveled to the Middle East intending to join the group earlier this year.
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Saadeh flew out of John F. Kennedy worldwide Airport in May, allegedly to join ISIS, according to the Justice Department complaint.
Between 2012 and 2013, Nader Saadeh allegedly sent electronic messages to his unidentified co-conspirator denouncing the United States and his desire to form a small army with his friends.
A former New Jersey man is accused of plotting to support terror groups, federal officials said.
BEYOND BERGEN (UPDATE): A man connected by the FBI to eight New Jersey bank robberies was due in federal court in Newark today after being arrested by Linden police following an attempted holdup on Wednesday.Marlon Peek, …
The suspect allegedly posted on his Facebook page photos of ISIL’s flag. Topaz was arrested on June 17 and charged with conspiring to provide services and personnel.
By April 2015, court papers claimed he had become a radical supporter of the IS group and was preparing to travel overseas.
He allegedly dramatically changed his appearance – i.e. wearing dark heavy eyeliner and dyeing his new beard red – and began whispering with his brother in Arabic when around the informant.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation also obtained electronic messages sent to Nader Saadeh on April 21, 2015, by family members living overseas, including his mother, who pleaded for him not to join ISIL”, it says.
Nader Saadeh also said that ISIL’s execution of a captured Jordanian Air Force pilot and the attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris earlier this year were justified, according to authorities.
The FBI said it obtained computer files showing that Saadeh viewed ISIS propaganda videos and researched the availability of flights to Turkey, which borders Syria.
Nader Saadeh, however, was arrested by Jordanian security forces upon his arrival and remained in custody until his arrest in the United States this morning.
Alaa Saadeh, who was arrested June 29, said he and his brother watched videos produced by the terror group and talked about traveling to join them. Furthermore, Alaa Saadeh stated that Conspirator 1 provided Nader Saadeh with the name and number of an ISIL contact who could facilitate Nader Saadeh’s passage to ISIL-controlled area the night before he left, according to Fishman.
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The charges against Saadeh carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
