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Two NYC Men Arrested For Allegedly Scheming To Supply Terrorists With Warm Clothes
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 10, 2013
Modified Oct 10, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 10, 2013
Modified Oct 10, 2013
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The Queens DA's office and NYPD just announced that two men, a Brooklyn resident and a Queens resident, were charged with conspiring to solicit aid in support of terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. How? By trying to supply them with warm clothes.
Humayoun Ghoulan Nabi, 27, a Pakistani naitonal who lives in Elmhurst, and Ismail Alsarabbi, 32, a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in Brooklyn, were arraigned on charges of second-degree soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism and fifth-degree conspiracy. District Attorney Richard Brown said (PDF), "In this case, while keeping our federal counterparts informed, our office worked closely with the Intelligence Division of the New York City Police Department on a long-term investigation in which the two defendants allegedly engaged in a plan to supply terrorist organizations in Afghanistan with warm winter clothing - which in the context of the fighting in Afghanistan is as serious as supplying the enemy with bullets and bombs."
Brown added, "These supplies would have enabled the terrorists to endure the harsh Afghan winters and extend the fighting season. These defendants, as a result, were not merely conspiring to supply clothing items to people in Afghanistan, they were conspiring to make the enemy more effective in engaging and killing American soldiers. Fortunately, the arrests of these defendants prevented their alleged plan from being carried out."
And Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "The arrests of these two New York City residents, Nabi and Alsarabbi, demonstrate the spectrum of terrorism threats that the New York City Police Department must continue to guard against. The cold weather gear and electronics that the pair sought to provide could have endangered the safety of Americans as much as supplies of guns and ammunition."
Nabi and Alsarabbi are each being held on $500,000 bond or cash. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Tagged
afghanistan
al-qaeda
arrest
nypd
queens
taliban
terror
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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