A Washington, D.C. transit policeman has been arrested on charges of attempting to provide support to the Islamic State (IS), the first time terrorism charges have been filed against a law enforcement officer in the U.S.
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This is the first case of a USA police officer charged with aiding ISIL.
Last week, a Washington, D.C. transit police officer was arrested and charged with attempting to support a terrorist organization, The Washington Post reported.
An officer with DC Metro Transit has been arrested on terror-related charges for attempting to support ISIS.
Court filings do not allege that officer Young had plans to launch any terror attacks here in the USA, and he did not seem to pose any immediate threat to the D.C. Metro system.
Young appeared briefly in court in Alexandria, Virginia, this afternoon where he came in handcuffed, wearing what appeared to be trousers from his police uniform, and a white T-shirt. His friend Zachary Chesser was arrested in 2010 for attempting to provide material support to Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab, and Amine El Khalifi, who met with Young, Chesser, and the undercover agent, is now serving time for a plot to blow up the U.S. Capitol. Many of these interactions were recorded.
His family and co-workers were also interviewed by law enforcement.
Throughout the investigation, law enforcement agents apparently never saw fit to stop Young from carrying weapons or continuing his work, even noting that he had undertaken off-site weapons training for his job in March.
The department said Young also traveled to Libya and worked alongside rebels seeking to overthrow the country’s ruler, Muammar Qaddafi. A luggage search turned up body armor, a Kevlar helmet and several other military-style items.
In 2014, it was found that Young was posing as a USA military reservist of Middle Eastern descent eager to leave the US military as he no longer wants to fight against Muslims during his deployment to Iraq. In reality, CHS had no further contact with Young. The reports state Young said he couldn’t buy a plane ticket without any “alerts” happening.
Prosecutors say Young had been under surveillance for years and was finally arrested after buying almost $250 in gift cards he thought would be used by the Islamic State group to buy mobile apps that would facilitate communication.
Federal officials said that Nicholas Young, 36, sent codes for gift cards worth $245 to an FBI informant. The codes were ultimately redeemed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for $245.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Authorities say Young was acquainted with both Zachary Chesser, who in 2010 admitted trying to join a Somali terrorist group and made threats to the creators of TV’s “South Park”, and Amine El Khalifi, who the following year was arrested for plotting to bomb the capitol.
