USA prosecutors said a transit system police officer in Washington, D.C. has been arrested on charges he attempted to provide material support to Islamic State militants.
Advertisement
A law enforcement officer is seen using a cell phone at the home of Nicholas Young, a Washington, Metro Transit Officer, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Fairfax, Va., Young was arrested at Metro’s headquarters in Washington and charged with a single count of attempting to provided material support to a terrorist group.
Young is accused of buying gift cards for mobile messaging accounts Islamic terrorist groups used in recruiting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern Division of Virginia said in a statement.
The Latest on a police officer who the Federal Bureau of Investigation says was caught in a sting with attempting to support the Islamic State group (all times local): 2:15 p.m.
“Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing”.
He made a brief court appearance Wednesday afternoon, wearing a T-shirt and what appeared to be his uniform slacks.
Baggage searches at the time found that Young was traveling with military equipment such as body armor.
The FBI says he is the first law enforcement officer in the U.S.to be charged with a terror-related crime.
If convicted, Young could face up to 20 years in prison.
Young was sacked from his job as a Metro police officer Wednesday morning following his arrest. Young frequently told one undercover source to be wary of potential informants, according to the affidavit.
In 2014, he met several times with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who was posing as an eager recruit of Islamic State, according to the affidavit, and advised the agent about how to evade law enforcement as he left the United States to join the militant group.
Young was discovered to be sending money to people he believed to be associated with ISIS. El Khalifi later pleaded guilty to charges related to his plan to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the US Capitol Building.
In a June 2015 interview with law enforcement, he described dressing up at Halloween parties as a jihadist who had beheaded a hostage and as a Nazi.
Advertisement
Documents show that Young was affiliated with Zachary Chesser, who pleaded guilty to trying to join a foreign terror outfit in 2010.
