A New Jersey man who desired to carry out a terrorist attack against a synagogue or a National Guard site was charged on Monday for attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, according to the US Department of Justice and a criminal complaint.
Wayne resident Mohamed Sagha was allegedly a party to an online chat group for ISIS supporters. He has, since December, been participating in conversations in which ISIS supporters discussed potential attacks on US houses of worship and other sites.
The 22-year-old suspect met with a confidential source, reportedly sharing with him the intent to aid one of the other supporters in a plot to attack a religious site. Sagha was allegedly contemplating his own attack, sharing photographs and videos of National Guard and Jewish sites near his residence.
“As alleged, the defendant sought to support ISIS and expressed interest in violence directed at targets within the United States, including places of worship,” New Jersey District US Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement. “Those who seek to advance the objectives of foreign terrorist organizations should expect a swift and coordinated response from federal law enforcement.”
In March, Sagha had allegedly attempted to join ISIS by traveling to Syria through Canada, but failed to complete the journey and returned home.
“The defendant allegedly wanted to attack targets in the United States in support of ISIS and its hateful ideology, but the FBI detected and put a stop to his violent plans,” FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Donald Holstead said in a statement.
“This should be a stark reminder to the American people of the FBI’s resolve to pursue anyone who tries to harm Americans and provide material support to terrorist organizations, and we will work with our Justice Department partners to make sure they face justice.”
