U.S. officials said on Wednesday they have thwarted the plans of three New Yorkers to join the Islamic State militant group in Syria, once again highlighting the risks posed by the flood of foreign fighters traveling to the Middle East.
The U.S. Justice Department said Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30, all residents of Brooklyn, plotted to carry out terror attacks in the U.S. if they weren’t able to join the Islamic State group in the Middle East. They join the ranks of some 20 people charged in the U.S. for allegedly planning to fight with militant groups in Syria and Iraq, according to the Associated Press.
Here’s what we know about American foreign fighters:
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Most of these foreign fighters come from countries in the Middle East. The ICSR estimates up 11,000 fighters are from the region, while around 4,000 came from Western Europe. Another 3,000 came from former Soviet Union nations, the group says, including 250 from Kazakhstan and 500 from Uzbekistan — the countries to which the three American jihadi hopefuls arrested Wednesday also had citizenship.
More from The WorldPost on the Islamic State group:
– Former Child Soldier: “Don’t Join ISIS”
– Despite Kobani’s Liberation From ISIS, Many Syrians See Little To Celebrate
– Jordan Has A Huge Foreign Fighter Problem
– 15,000 Foreign Fighters Have Joined Extremist Groups In Iraq And Syria. Here’s Why They Went
– How ISIS Uses OIl To Fund Terror
– What’s Happening In Jordan Today Shows How The Arab World’s Strengths Are Also Its Weaknesses
