Monday at a press conference, the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota, Andrew Luger, detailed the arrest of six men who are accused of attempting to go to Syria and join ISIS.
Luger said the men are being charged with “conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Four of the defendants were arrested yesterday in Minnesota and will appear this afternoon at 2 p.m. in federal court in St. Paul.” He added, “two others were arrested in San Diego yesterday morning. and will appear later today there in federal court.”
He explained, “Each of those charged in the criminal complaint is presumed innocent. The charges I am about to explain are allegations. Each of those charged in the criminal complaint participated in a criminal conspiracy over the last 10 months. Our offices have dedicated enormous resources during the past year to investigating a large group of friends and relatives who have been meeting with one simple goal in mind. As the complaint makes clear, this group is committed to joining ISIS by any means possible. The men charged today are part of that group. They have spent a great deal of time over the past year trying to get to Syria to fight for ISIS. They have tried to leave the United States from our airport here in Minnesota, from JFK airport in New York, by bus, by car, and by any means possible.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN