Boise Man Arrested on Terrorism and WMD Charges

A 30-year old Uzbekistan national living in Boise, Idaho, was arrested on the morning of May 16th as part of a wide scale federal terrorism investigation.

Fazliddin Kurbanov is charged in separate indictments in Idaho and Utah for conspiring to support the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and distributing information related to the manufacture and use of an explosive or weapon of mass destruction.

Kurbanov had a combination of parts to make a bomb, including a hollow hand grenade, hobby fuse, aluminum powder, potassium nitrate, and sulfur, a three-count indictment filed in Boise said. Kurbanov is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists knowing that the support was to be used for carrying out an attack involving a weapon of mass destruction, and possession of an unregistered destructive device.

A second indictment filed in Salt Lake City charged Kurbanov with distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction. Kurbamov allegedly “showed internet videos, conducted instructional shopping trips, provided written recipes and gave verbal instructions on where to obtain the necessary components to construct and use improvised explosive devices.” The indictment further alleged that Kurbanov sought to use the explosive devices to bomb public places, transportation, and other infrastructural facilities.

“Today’s arrest and these indictments underscore our commitment to aggressively and thoroughly investigate those who conspire to engage in unlawful terrorist activities,” Wendy J. Olson, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, said is a Department of Justice press release announcing the charges.

A detention motion filed in the case described Kubarnov as a serious flight risk. Kurbanov faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted on the Idaho charges. The Utah charge carries a longer prison sentence of 20 years.