Newark (US), June 6 (IANS) Two New Jersey men who wanted to kill US troops were arrested at the John F. Kennedy International Airport as they boarded flights to join a terrorist group in Somalia, media reports said Sunday.
They were charged with conspiring to commit an act of international terrorism through a group linked to Al Qaeda terrorist network, nj.com reported citing officials.
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, were apprehended Saturday before they could board separate flights to Egypt, where they were to start journeys to Somalia.
The men were arrested by teams of state and federal law-enforcement agents who have been investigating the pair since October 2006, officials said requesting anonymity.
Late Saturday, the state homeland security agency confirmed a police action at the airport but gave few details.
‘Two individuals were arrested at JFK in connection with an ongoing investigation. At this time, we can provide no further details because the investigation is ongoing. The arrests do not relate to an immediate threat,’ said Jose Lozano, a spokesman for the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
In October 1993, 18 US soldiers were killed trying to take out key members of the leadership of the warring clan that controlled the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Some have suggested there was a link between that skirmish and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, although others dispute that.
More recently, the Pentagon’s top commander in the region included Somalia on a small list of countries where clandestine US military operations would be targeted to disrupt militant groups.
