A New Jersey native, Karrem Nasr, has been apprehended in Kenya and subsequently charged with attempting to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization, al Shabaab, according to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department.
The 23-year-old U.S. citizen, who relocated to Egypt in July, was arrested in Nairobi on December 14 and extradited to the United States this past Thursday.
The charges against Nasr carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The U.S. officially recognizes al Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization. Nasr's arrest comes at a time of increased antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States, following the Israel-Gaza conflict, which has escalated the country's terror threat levels.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, "As alleged, Karrem Nasr, motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies." Prosecutors allege that Nasr journeyed from Egypt to Kenya with the intention of joining and training with al Shabaab.
Prosecutors further revealed that Nasr had been contemplating "engaging in jihad for a long time," and was particularly inspired to become a jihadi by the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. This information was gleaned from Nasr's online postings and communications with a confidential FBI source.
According to the Justice Department, Nasr took active steps to join al Shabaab and receive training from them. He planned to meet with members of the organization in Kenya, intending to travel further to Somalia to join the group. He was apprehended by Kenyan authorities before he could carry out his plans. It remains unclear whether Nasr has secured legal representation.
The Justice Department has expressed concern over the rising threats against Jews and Muslims in the United States, attributing this to the surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia connected to the Middle East conflict. In early December, FBI Director Christopher Wray described the threat level as so high that he saw "blinking lights everywhere."
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