A New Jersey man has been accused of attempting to help al-Shabaab, a radical Islamic terrorist group based in Somalia, after allegedly being inspired by Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel.
Karrem Nasr, a 23-year-old American citizen, was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya on December 14 and was charged with attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization. Nasr made his first appearance in court on Friday, according to the Justice Department. If convicted, Nasr could face up to 20 years in prison.
“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. Nasr, a citizen of this country, traveled from Egypt to Kenya bent on joining and training with al Shabaab so that he could execute his jihadist mission of death and destruction,” U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement. “Nasr was prepared to kill and be killed to support the jihadist cause, and in his own words, he described America as ‘evil’ and the ‘head of the snake.’”
According to the criminal complaint, Nasr is a supported of al-Shabaab and moved to Egypt in July 2023. Al-Shabaab has been behind deadly attacks on Americans and frequently targets Christians in Africa.
In messages with a confidential FBI source, Nasr allegedly said that “evil America” was the number one enemy and that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you.” The complaint says that Nasr was planning on joining al-Shabaab in Somalia for training and later terror attacks, but he was detained in Kenya before he could join up with the group.
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“Instead of embracing all that the United States had to offer him, Mr. Nasr allegedly moved abroad and committed himself to supporting a foreign terrorist organization. The provision of support to such a group – particularly by an American citizen – is a heinous threat to our entire country and way of life,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban, who was at the announcement of the complaint.
The U.S. and Europe have faced increasing terrorist threats following Hamas’ October 7 attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead. Earlier this month, German and Austrian police arrested multiple suspected Islamic terrorists who were allegedly planning terrorist attacks on Christmas or New Year’s Eve.