Middle Eastern refugee Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab was arrested Thursday and charged in connection with making false statements involving international terrorism.
“Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab allegedly traveled overseas to fight alongside terrorist organizations and lied to U.S. authorities about his activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.
Al-Jayab, 23, “came to the United States as an Iraqi refugee in October 2012,” according to the criminal complaint. From that time through November 2013, the alleged aspiring Islamic terrorist is said to have “communicated over social media with numerous other individuals about his intent to return to Syria to fight for terrorist organizations,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In those communications Al-Jayab “discussed his previous experience with firearms and with fighting against the regime in Syria.”
On November 9, 2013, Al-Jayab flew from Chicago to Turkey, then on to Syria. From that time through January 2014, he is alleged to have posted to social media that he was fighting with terror organizations, including designated terrorist organization Ansar al-Islam.
On January 23, 2014, Al-Jayab is said to have returned to the U.S. and settled in Sacramento, California.
On October 6, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interviewed Al-Jayab, according to the complaint. Al-Jayab provided what were later alleged to be materially false statements regarding participation in a “rebel group or militia,” providing material support for a terrorist or terrorist activity and stating that the late 2013 trip was to Turkey to visit his grandmother.
“According to the allegations in the complaint, the defendant traveled to Syria to take up arms with terrorist organizations and concealed that conduct from immigration authorities,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.
A separate refugee-designated individual was arrested in Houston, Texas, on Thursday in connection with an alleged terror plot. Breitbart Texas reported that Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan is said to have links to terror activities in Wisconsin and California as well.
Meanwhile, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley moved forward with a lawsuit over the refugee resettlement program on Thursday “for noncompliance of the Refugee Act of 1980.” Conservative Review reported that, despite three letters from the Governor, Bentley sent and the White House ignored letters “requesting more information on President Obama’s plans to dump Syrian refugees across the country.”
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana.
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