Long Island Man Arrested For Trying To Join ISIS: DOJ

A Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced in a press release.

Elvis Redzepagic, 26, was arrested at his home in Commack on Friday, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Federal authorities allege Redzepagic traveled to the Middle East twice over the last two years in an attempt to join terrorist organizations. In 2015, he communicated with a member of a terrorist organization he believed to be the commander of a battalion in Syria and made attempts to join him, the U.S. attorney's office said. In July 2015, Redzepagic allegedly traveled to Turkey and made multiple attempts to cross the border into Syria to join the associate but was unable to.

In August 2016, authorities allege he traveled to Jordan but was stopped and deported by authorities there.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Redzepagic wrote about Jihad in Facebook messages, saying "jihad" is "when you fight for the sake of God" and "die for the sake of Allah." He allegedly admitted in interviews with law enforcement that when he tried to enter Syria from Turkey he was "prepared to strap a bomb to himself."

Redzepagic is a U.S. citizen, authorities said.

“This defendant made numerous attempts to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad,” United States Attorney Robert Capers said in a press release. “We will continue to track down and prosecute individuals like the defendant before they are able to become foreign fighters or harm the United States and its allies.”

Redzepagic is scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy at the United States Courthouse, located at 225 Cadman Plaza East in Brooklyn.

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