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A New Jersey man, inspired by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, was arrested in Kenya, after allegedly seeking to join terrorist forces in Africa, authorities said Friday.
Karrem Nasr, a 23-year-old Garden State resident and U.S. citizen who also went under the name Ghareeb Al-Muhaji, was taken into custody in Nairobi on Dec. 14 before being taken to the United States on Thursday, federal prosecutors said.
Nasr, “motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas” on Oct. 7, “devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies,” according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office out of the Southern District of New York.
The suspect “was prepared to kill and be killed to support the jihadist cause” and “described America as ‘evil’ and the ‘head of the snake,’” prosecutors said.
Nasr specifically wanted to join al Shabaab and traveled from Egypt to Kenya on Dec. 14 “for purposes of ultimately joining and training with al Shabaab,” federal authorities said.
He had planned to travel to Somalia to join al Shabaab before he was picked up by Kenyan authorities on Dec. 14, officials said.
The New Jersey man has been charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
The suspect’s most recently listed U.S. address is in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Messages left on phone numbers associated with that address were not immediately returned on Friday.
And it also wasn’t immediately clear on Friday afternoon if Nasr had hired or been assigned a criminal defense lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Madelyn Urabe contributed.
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