Suspected ISIS Terrorist Arrested in Florida

A 30-year-old man who runs mall kiosks in Jacksonville, Savannah and other cities is among three people arrested Wednesday on federal terrorism charges.

Abror Habibov was arrested in Florida, News 4 Jax is reporting, but the exact location is not known.

The charges against Habibov, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev and Akhror Saidakhmetov were announced Wednesday, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Juraboev and Saidakhmetov were to appear Wednesday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in Brooklyn, N.Y., while Habibov’s initital appearance is in Jacksonville.

All three men are accused of “conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” the justice department’s media release states.

An investigation into the activities of the three men began last August after Juraboev was accused of posting on an Uzbek-language website that supports ISIL’s ideology, federal officials stated.

“The investigation subsequently revealed that Juraboev and Saidakhmetov devised a plan to travel to Turkey and then to Syria for the purpose of waging jihad on behalf of ISIL,” the release stated. Habibov, who resides in Brooklyn and is a citizen of Uzbekistan, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join ISIL forces.

See Also:

• ISIS Beheads Florida Journalist Steven Sotloff
• Possible ISIS Propaganda Discovered at Quantico Marine Corps Base

Habibov reportedly employed Saidakhmetov in the past at his mall kiosks that repair telephones and sell items for the kitchen, Bay News 9 reported.

If convicted, the men face up to 15 years in prison.

“The charges against Juraboev, Saidakhmetov and Habibov reflect our commitment to finding those who wish to provide material support to ISIL, as well as those committed to fighting on behalf of ISIL, either at home or abroad, and preventing them from doing so,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin was quoted in the release as saying. “The National Security Division will continue to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters and financial resources to terrorist organizations operating in Iraq and Syria. I would like to commend all those whose tireless efforts helped bring these charges.”

ISIL, also known as ISIS, is a terrorist group that has drawn support from Sunni militants from Syria, Iraq and other locations across the world. It has claimed credit for a number of highly publicized beheadings, including the September death of Florida journalist Steven Sotloff.

The extremist group is now reportedly holding an estimated 150 Assyrian Christian hostages and is threatening to kill them, according to CNN.

Image via Shutterstock

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