A New Jersey man who was arrested in Kenya has been charged with attempting to aid the terrorist group al Shabaab, the U.S. Justice Department reported. It is alleged that he was motivated by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th to commit acts of violence. This arrest comes as there has been an increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia following the Israel-Gaza war, resulting in heightened terror threat levels within the United States.
Karrem Nasr, a U.S. citizen who had moved from New Jersey to Egypt around July, was taken into custody in Nairobi on December 14th. He was brought to the United States on Thursday, as stated by the Justice Department in a Friday statement. The 23-year-old has been charged with “attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The United States has designated al Shabaab as a “foreign terrorist organization.” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “As alleged, Karrem Nasr, motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th, devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies.”
Mr. Nasr traveled from Egypt to Kenya “bent on joining and training with al Shabaab,” according to prosecutors. He made communications with an FBI confidential source and made online postings, stating that he had been thinking about “engaging in jihad for a long time, and he was particularly motivated to become a jihadi by the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.”
It was not clear whether Mr. Nasr had legal representation.