Three young Muslim men from New York City were arrested by police after plotting to commit terrorist attacks for ISIS that included assassinating President Barack Obama and killing as many police officers as they could.
The three men from Brooklyn were identified as Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Kazakhstan; Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan and Abror Habibov, 30, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan.
Two of the suspects were legal permanent residents of the US, said New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton during a press conference announcing the men's arrests Wednesday.
The Justice Department said the suspects planned to travel to Syria to join militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, and wage jihad or holy war against the U.S. government.
One of the men also offered to kill President Obama if ordered to do so, the criminal complaint said, according to Fox News. The suspects were officially charged with conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. They are expected to appear in court today, Thursday.
"We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them," said U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch. "Anyone who threatens our citizens and our allies, here or abroad, will face the full force of American justice."
The suspects had been under surveillance since the middle of last year. What triggered their arrest yesterday was their plan to travel to Syria and join ISIS.
Juraboev bought plane tickets to Syria for March 29 while Habibov helped fund Saidakhmetov's trip, the complaint said. Saidakhmetov was arrested early Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he tried to board a plane for Istanbul.
In August 2014, undercover FBI agents met with Juraboev who spoke of his hopes of fighting with ISIS. He also allegedly told the agents he hoped to harm President Obama because of 'Allah.' Juraboev also asked for help getting weapons, according to the complaint.
The FBI said the youngest suspect, Saidakhmetov, posted on an Uzbek-language website over the last six months saying he would buy a machine gun and shoot police officers and FBI agents if his plan to join ISIS was thwarted. He also said he would plant a bomb on Coney Island if ISIL told him to do so, said NBC News.
"I will just go and buy a machine gun, AK-47, go out and shoot all police", Saidakhmetov was recorded as saying by the FBI.
"It is legal in America to carry a gun. We will go and purchase one handgun...then go and shoot one police officer...Boom...Then we will take his gun, bullets and a bulletproof vest...then we will do the same with a couple others. Then we will go to the FBI headquarters, kill the FBI people..."
Saidakhmetov also intended to join the U.S. military to kill as many American soldiers as possible or provide information to ISIL.
Earlier this month, six Bosnians living in the US were also charged with aiding ISIS. They collected money to be transferred to intermediaries in Syria and Iraq.