Two US citizens charged with 'conspiring with Islamic State'
Two US citizens charged with 'conspiring with Islamic State'
Two 35-year-old men from Chicago were charged for conspiring with the Islamic State group after an FBI sting that lasted for more than one year, reports said.
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The two were arrested after a year-long undercover FBI operation [US Department of Justice]
Two American men were charged by a US court on Wednesday for conspiring with the Islamic State group [IS], after an elaborate investigation that lasted more than one year.
Joseph Jones, also known as Yusuf Abdulhaqq, and Edward Schimenti, known as Abdul Wali were arrested after equipping and preparing an associate for travel to Syria to join the militant IS group, only to find he was an FBI informant.
The two 35-year-olds “pledged their allegiance to ISIS and advocated on social media for violent extremism in support of the terrorist group,” a US Department of Justice statement said.
"The pair furnished several cellular phones to the cooperating source, believing they would be used to detonate explosive devices in ISIS attacks overseas," the statement added.
Two other undercover FBI agents posed as supporters of IS with interest in fighting for the group in the region. The agents, informant and two suspects regularly met at several locations over the course of the year.
In one meeting, Schimenti allegedly expressed desires to witness the IS flag raised "on top of the White House.''
Prosecutors claim Schimenti took part in a physical training session with the informant in a local gym, suggesting the exercises would "make you good, you know in the battlefield.''
The suspects, both from Illnois, face a maximum punishment of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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