A naturalized U.S. citizen of Albanian descent was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the Bronx early Tuesday on charges of providing material support to terrorism, according to Breitbart News sources.
Breitbart News has learned that the suspect, identified as Sajmir Alimehneti, is believed to have been assisting potential terrorists inside the U.S. homeland.
The JTTF arrest, which involved the NYPD, was the result of an 18-month investigation.
Exclusive Breitbart News sources can confirm the black flag of jihad was found in the suspect’s apartment. The flag is often used by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
It remains unclear if Alimehneti has been linked to a specific terrorist organization. However, sources say he was planning to travel to Syria, where al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other jihadist groups are operating.
Alimehneti, who has a brother in an Albanian prison, was named in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, NBC News New York reports, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
“Details of the investigation are expected to be released later today by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan,” notes the report. “Alimehneti will appear in federal court in Manhattan later today.”
“More than a half dozen individuals have been arrested since mid-2015 by the task force in New York and New Jersey on similar charges,” it adds.
FBI Director James Comey recently said that his agents are evaluating a suspect’s level of radicalization and potential for violence in “north of 1,000” cases, of which about 80 percent have been linked to ISIS.