End US War Machine: Washington DC transit police officer, convert to Islam, charged with aiding Islamic State terrorists. Traveled to Libya twice in 2011 to help rebels, had large cache of weapons at his home, under investigation since 2010

8/4/16, "DC Metro Transit police officer charged with aiding ISIS," Matthew Dean, Fox News

"A Washington, D.C., Metro Transit police officer who was a convert to Islam and once dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween was charged on Wednesday with attempting to provide material support to ISIS -- the first time a law enforcement officer has been charged with an ISIS-related crime.

Virginia resident Nicholas Young, 36, who had served with the department since 2003, was arrested Wednesday morning by FBI agents at Metro Transit Police headquarters in Washington, DC...

Authorities allege in a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday that Young attempted to send money to ISIS through mobile-based gift cards using an unnamed messaging service the terror group utilizes for recruiting purposes. The $245 digital transaction, which was actually sent to an undercover FBI agent in July, was redeemed by the agency. Despite Wednesday’s arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said there was never any threat to the public or a plot by Young to target the public transit system....

Young had been under FBI investigation since 2010, when the Metro Transit Police Department alerted the feds to suspicions over the former police officer. During the investigation, the FBI kept extremely close tabs on Young through the use of undercover agents and confidential informants....

Investigators also interviewed Young several times during the course of the investigation. Court documents paint the story of an individual with ties to suspicious individuals and with terrorist aspirations abroad. The criminal complaint connects Young to two convicted Washington, DC-area terrorists, Zachary Chesser and Amine El Khalifi.

Chesser was sentenced in federal court in 2011 to 25 years in prison for aiding Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab. He is also known for threatening the creators of South Park for the show's depiction of the prophet Mohamed. Khalifi was arrested in 2012 for attempting to detonate an explosive vest in the U.S. Capitol Building and was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crimes.

Court documents show federal investigators also questioned Young about trips he had taken to Libya in 2011. Young told FBI agents he traveled twice to the North African nation to assist rebels attempting to overthrow the regime of then-dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

A baggage search by Customs and Border Protection on one of Young’s outbound trips revealed he had traveled with body armor, a Kevlar helmet, and “several other military-style items,” according to the criminal complaint. Young is also alleged to have maintained a large cache of firearms, including numerous rifles and handguns at his home....

In 2015...he admitted to interviewers at the Metro Transit Police Department that he dressed up as Jihadi John for Halloween in 2014. According to the criminal complaint, as part of his costume “Young stuffed an orange jumpsuit with paper to portray a headless hostage, and he carried that around with him throughout the party.” During that same interview, Young admitted to having previously dressed up as a Nazi and to collecting Nazi memorabilia as well as possessing a tattoo of a German eagle on his neck....

He will be held in Alexandria until his detention hearing, which is set for Friday at 2 p.m. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release....

Young's employment with the metro police was "terminated" Wednesday, according to a memo sent to metro staffers."

Map of ISIS suspects in the US by state through June 15, 2016, from G. W. University:

84 in US charged with Islamic terror related activity to date:

...........

"ISIS in America," George Washington University

"From Retweets to Raqqa"

"The report, ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa consists of two parts. The first examines all cases of U.S. persons arrested, indicted, or convicted in the United States for ISIS-related activities. A wide array of legal documents related to these cases provides empirical evidence for identifying several demographic factors related to the arrested individuals. This section also looks at the cases of other Americans who, while not in the legal system, are known to have engaged in ISIS-inspired behavior.
The second part of the report examines various aspects of the ISIS-related mobilization in America. Here the report analyzes the individual motivations of ISIS supporters; the role of the Internet and, in particular, social media, in their radicalization and recruitment processes; whether their radicalization took place in isolation or with other, like-minded individuals; and the degree of their tangible links to ISIS. It concludes with recommendations to combat ISIS recruitment.
Full Report
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End US War Machine

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Washington DC transit police officer, convert to Islam, charged with aiding Islamic State terrorists. Traveled to Libya twice in 2011 to help rebels, had large cache of weapons at his home, under investigation since 2010

84 in US charged with Islamic terror related activity to date:

...........

"ISIS in America," George Washington University

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