FBI agents stopped a New York man from boarding a flight from New York to the Middle East, where he was allegedly going to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to wage jihad, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ said in a press release that Syed Aman, a U.S. citizen and resident of Nassau County, New York, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Aman was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, as he attempted to board a flight to Doha, Qatar. The DOJ said Aman planned to leave for Syria from Qatar to join ISIS.
“As alleged, Aman was steadfast in his attempts to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS and fortunately his evil plan to wage jihad was thwarted,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “My Office will continue to identify and prosecute would-be terrorists like the defendant before they are able to harm individuals at home or abroad on behalf of ISIS.”
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A masked Islamic State soldier poses holding the ISIS flag in 2015. (History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In a complaint filed on Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn, Aman is accused of expressing his support for ISIS in an online forum for the group between 2023 and 2024. During the same period, Aman allegedly sent money to an individual he believed was an ISIS operative, to support ISIS’s efforts in Syria. He also allegedly planned to go to Syria to engage in jihad, or a holy war, alongside ISIS.
Most recently, Aman was in contact with a confidential human source (CHS) starting at the beginning of October 2024, in connection to his plans to join ISIS.
While communicating with the CHS, Aman allegedly said waging war on ISIS’ behalf and traveling to an ISIS-controlled territory are “the most important things, more than anything else at the moment.”
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Syrian Kurdish security forces stand by as former detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group are released in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh on Sept. 2, 2024. (DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The DOJ also said Aman expressed hatred toward “kuffar [non-believers] who deny the path of Allah,” adding, “[If] you don’t kill them, they will kill us and ruin the earth with decay.”
On social media, Aman allegedly posted his desire “to kill Americans,” and wrote in a notebook about becoming a martyr for ISIS.
In late October, Aman attempted to book flights to the Middle East, but the credit card company blocked his purchases.
In a third attempt, though, Aman successfully booked a flight from JFK to Bangladesh through Doha, Qatar.
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He reportedly told the CHS he planned to get off his flight in Qatar and purchase a flight from Qatar to Turkey, where he would cross into Syria to join ISIS.
On Tuesday, Aman went to JFK Airport to catch a flight to Qatar. After checking in and going through airport security, he attempted to board his flight and was arrested by the FBI.
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“Syed Aman was allegedly determined in his efforts to support ISIS through financial donation and by making multiple attempts to travel overseas to engage in jihad on their behalf,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy said. “Thankfully, the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force was able to intervene before his disturbing plans of supporting a deadly terrorist organization could come to fruition. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, are unmatched in our resolve to protect our nation from those willing to support the evils of terrorism.”