Karrem Nasr, 23, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, has been charged with a single account of trying to offer materials assist to a overseas terrorist group.
Prosecutors say Nasr, a/okay/a “Ghareeb Al-Muhajir,” was impressed by the October 7 Hamas terrorist assaults in opposition to Israeli civilians and was “devoted … to waging violent jihad against America.”
Nasr was apprehended in Kenya earlier this month whereas touring to affix the Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabaab, a chosen overseas terrorist group.
US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement Friday, “As alleged, Karrem Nasr, motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies.”
“Nasr, a citizen of this country, traveled from Egypt to Kenya bent on joining and training with al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of death and destruction. Nasr was prepared to kill and be killed to support the jihadist cause, and in his own words, he described America as ‘evil’ and the ‘head of the snake.’”
“Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the career prosecutors in my Office and our law enforcement partners who led the investigation, Nasr’s plan to train with a terrorist organization and wage violent jihad has been disrupted. Make no mistake: My Office is committed to investigating, disrupting, and prosecuting anyone who is inspired by Hamas’s October 7 attack and seeks to harm Americans, whether here or abroad.”
FBI Assistant Director in Cost James Smith stated, “Karrem Nasr traveled across the globe in an alleged attempt to join the ranks of a foreign terrorist organization – an organization that has repeatedly expressed its desire to harm Americans around the world. This investigation highlights the ongoing efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and our domestic and international law enforcement partners to protect the U.S. against any form of terrorism and ensuring the safety of our community.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban added, “Instead of embracing all that the United States had to offer him, Mr. Nasr allegedly moved abroad and committed himself to supporting a foreign terrorist organization. The provision of support to such a group – particularly by an American citizen – is a heinous threat to our entire country and way of life. In the face of this, NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners on the FBI-led New York Joint Terrorism Task Force will remain relentless in our efforts to identify and investigate anyone who so clearly considers our nation their sworn enemy.”
In current public social media posts, Nasr shared that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you.”
In a communication with a confidential supply, he expressed his plans to affix al Shabaab to obtain army coaching and have interaction in jihad.
