Rochester,
N.Y., man charged with trying to help Islamic State
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[September 17, 2014]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Rochester,
New York, man has been indicted on charges of trying to provide material
support to the Islamic State militant group and attempting to murder
U.S. soldiers, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.
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A federal grand jury in Rochester handed down a seven-count
indictment against Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, following an investigation by
the FBI's Rochester Joint Terrorism Task Force, a Justice Department
statement said.
According to court records, Elfgeeh, beginning last year, tried to
help three people - two of whom were cooperating with the FBI - to
travel to Syria to fight for Islamic State, a Sunni militant group
that has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.
"Elfgeeh also plotted to shoot and kill members of the United States
military who had returned from Iraq," authorities said. "As part of
the plan to kill soldiers, Elfgeeh purchased two handguns equipped
with firearm silencers and ammunition from a confidential source."
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The FBI made the guns inoperable before the confidential source gave
them to the suspect, the Justice Department statement said, adding
Elfgeeh was in custody.
"With today's indictment of Mufid Elfgeeh, the government
demonstrates that it will use all available tools to disrupt and
defeat ISIS,” William Hochul, U.S. attorney for the Western District
of New York, said in the statement, using an acronym for Islamic
State.
President Barack Obama is seeking to build an international
coalition to fight the militant group.
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The three charges of material support to Islamic State each carry a
maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and the attempted murder
charge carries up to a 20-year sentence.
The suspect also faces charges for possession of firearms and
silencers.
(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Ken Wills)
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