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US cop arrested after sending money for Daesh

Wednesday, 03 August 2016 4:39 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 03 August 2016 4:40 PM ]

A US police officer in Washington, D.C. has been arrested after attempting to send money to Daesh. (file photo)

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a police officer on charges of providing material support to Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Washington, D.C. Metro Transit Officer Nicholas Young was arrested on Wednesday morning after attempting to send money to the group via a messaging service that is used by Daesh for recruiting purposes.

The $245 transaction, carried out in July 2016, was redeemed after an undercover FBI agent contacted Young as a Daesh link.

According to US media, 36-year-old Young entered service in 2003 and was on security officials’ radar since 2010.

Young also admitted that he travelled to Libya twice in 2011, in order to join militant groups who were fighting to topple former Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi, the FBI noted.

The criminal complaint states that during one of the trips, young was carrying body armor, a Kevlar helmet, and “several other military-style items.”

An inspection of the suspect’s home also revealed a large cache of firearms, including various types of rifles and handguns.

Despite the arrest, the US Justice Department said Young did not intend to carry out public attacks or do anything that would disrupt the Metro system that he was protecting.

Young is said to be an acquaintance of Zachary Chesser, who received a 25-year prison sentence for supporting the al-Qaeda terrorist group.

American officials also connect young to Amine El Khalifi, a Moroccan national who was arrested on his way to US Capitol in 2012, while carrying an alleged explosive belt.

Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik thanked the FBI and other security agencies for Young’s arrest.

"We all have a duty to report suspicious activity whenever and wherever it occurs," Pavlik said.

Young will make his initial appearance before the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, his state of residence, on Wednesday afternoon. If proven guilty, he can face up to 20 years in prison.

Daesh Takfiri terrorists were first trained by the CIA and are fighting a proxy war on behalf of Washington to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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