An upstate New York man has been charged with attempting to finance the Islamic State and plotting to kill returning U.S. Iraq war veterans,
The New York Times reported.
Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, was arrested in May in a sting operation, according to a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 16.
Elfgeeh allegedly provided $600 to help fund two men who told him they wanted to travel to Syria to join the fighting. He also reportedly gave $1,050 for the purchase of two handguns and silencers for use against returning veterans, according to the Times.
Local Shiite Muslims were also to be targeted, the
Democrat & Chronicle reported.
He thought he was helping the men finance their journey to Syria. The weapons were for Elfgeeh, who spoke of carrying out a shooting spree, the Times reported. He had tweeted: "al-Qaida said it loud and clear; we are fighting the American invasion and their hegemony over the earth and the people," according to authorities, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Born in Yemen, Elfgeeh was a naturalized U.S. citizen and owner of MoJoe's Store and Food Mart in Rochester,
WROC-TV in Rochester reported. A former worker described him as volatile.
"We will remain aggressive in identifying and disrupting those who seek to provide support to [the Islamic State] and other terrorist groups that are bent on inflicting harm upon Americans," said Attorney General Eric Holder.
"We are focused on breaking up these activities on the front end, before [ISIS] supporters can make good on plans to travel to the region or recruit sympathizers to this cause," Holder said, according to the Times.
Elfgeeh's arrest was carried out in Rochester by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
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