The US Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested and charged Karrem Nasr, an American citizen residing in Egypt since July 2023, for attempting to provide support to al-Shabaab. Nasr, a resident of New Jersey, traveled to Kenya with the intent to join al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, following Hamas’ attack in southern Israel on October 7.

The DOJ charged Nasr with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. US Attorney Damian Williams said in a press release that Nasr was “motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, [and] devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies.”

According to the criminal complaint, Nasr stated that the number one enemy was “evil America,” which he called the “head of the snake.” In recent social media posts, Nasr threatened that “Jihad” was “coming soon to a US location near you,” posting airplane, bomb and fire emojis. The complaint also alleges that Nasr undertook deliberate actions to connect with and undergo military training provided by al-Shabaab. These actions included arranging flight and accommodation reservations for a journey to Kenya. His intent was to meet with al-Shabaab members in Kenya, with the subsequent plan of traveling to Somalia to join the group for training.

Nasr traveled to Kenya on December 14, intending to meet al-Shabaab handlers and subsequently cross the border into Somalia to start training. Upon arriving at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nasr was arrested by Kenyan authorities and handed over to US authorities.

The FBI successfully infiltrated Nasr’s scheme with the assistance of a confidential informant who had assumed the role of a facilitator for terrorist organizations. In the complaint, the FBI presented screenshots of communications on X (formerly Twitter) between the informant and Nasr. In these exchanges, Nasr expressed his endorsement of jihad and his aspiration to carry out terrorist attacks on US soil.

According to the DOJ’s press release, Nasr faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. In response to the charge, NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said, “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.”