3 in New York, Florida accused of plot to help Islamic State

NEW YORK - Three men were arrested Wednesday on charges of plotting to help the Islamic State wage war against the United States, and federal officials said one of them spoke of shooting President Obama or planting a bomb on Coney Island. Authorities say two of the men had ties to Philadelphia, having operated or worked at an unidentified mall kiosk here.

Akhror Saidakhmetov, a Brooklyn resident and citizen of Kazakhstan, was arrested at Kennedy Airport, where he was trying to board a flight to Turkey on his way to Syria, authorities said. Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, a Brooklyn resident from Uzbekistan, had a ticket to travel to Istanbul next month and was arrested in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors said. The two were held without bail after a brief court appearance.

A third defendant, Abror Habibov, who is also from Uzbekistan, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov's efforts to join the Islamic State after Saidakhmetov's mother took away his passport to try to prevent him from traveling. Habibov, who authorities say operates kiosks that sell kitchenware and repair mobile phones in retail malls in Philadelphia and other locations, was ordered held without bail in Florida. He had been in the country legally but his visa had expired, authorities say.

The three are charged with attempt and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group. If convicted, each could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

"This is real," New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said. "This is the concern about the lone wolf, inspired to act without ever going to the Mideast."

The Justice Department has charged roughly 20 people in the last year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside extremists like the Islamic State, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. Federal officials have been concerned about Americans going overseas to train with these groups and returning with plots to carry out attacks at home.

Federal prosecutors say Juraboev, 24, first came to the attention of law enforcement in August, when he posted on an Uzbek-language website that propagates the Islamic State ideology.

"Greetings! We too want to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present there," he wrote, according to authorities. "Is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here?

"What I'm saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels."

Officials said they believed he planned to travel from Turkey to Syria to join the terror group. Prosecutors say Saidakhmetov, 19, also threatened an attack in the United States if he was unable to join the Islamic State. Juraboev's plans included attacks against Obama or planting a bomb on Coney Island, officials said.

Officials say Juraboev identified Saidakhmetov as a friend with a shared ideology.

Saidakhmetov told the informant in September that he wanted to travel to Syria for holy war but that his mother confiscated his passport, the complaint said. He said he would lie and tell her he planned to go to Uzbekistan to visit relatives. When he called to ask for his passport back, she hung up the phone.

Authorities say Saidakhmetov worked at several of Habibov's kiosks in the fall and winter of 2014, including in Philadelphia. Saidakhmetov's attorney, Adam Perlmutter, said his client was a "young, innocent kid" who would plead not guilty.

"This is the type of case that highlights everything that is wrong with how the Justice Department approaches these cases," Perlmutter said.

Juraboev's attorney had no immediate comment.

Saidakhmetov booked a flight to Turkey on Feb. 19 and seemed like just another "regular American teenager," said workers who helped him at Nil Travel in Coney Island. Assistant manager Frank Cakir said Saidakhmetov asked for the least expensive flight to Turkey and paid $571 by credit card for a roundtrip ticket.

Farhod Sulton, president of the Brooklyn-based Vatandosh Uzbek-American Federation, knew Habibov and said he was a "lost man."

"He was so eager to learn Islam, and he had a lot of questions," Sulton said. "A couple of times I remember warning him about his thoughts and where he was getting his information."