Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Jordanian in US Accused of Trying to Join ISIS | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Jordanian Laith Waleed Alebbini. Asharq Al-Awsat


Washington- A Jordanian citizen living in the US State of Ohio has been indicted on a charge of attempting to travel to the Middle East and fight with ISIS, a month after his arrest at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Kentucky.

Prosecutors said 26-year-old Laith Waleed Alebbini is a legal permanent resident of the US and that he was attempting to fly to Turkey before joining up with ISIS jihadists.

If convicted, Alebbini faces up to 20 years in prison.

Court records say he was arrested in January for unlawful entry at the Turkish embassy in Washington, but those charges were later dropped.

Last week, the New York Daily News said that police had been closely monitoring him since he headed from Ohio to Washington to get a visit for Turkey.

They arrested him before boarding a plane from Cincinnati to Chicago from where he was set to take a flight to Turkey, the report said.

According to the newspaper, Alebbini has previously visited Turkey. He faced problems during his last trip when the Turkish authorities denied him entry over the expiry of his Jordanian passport.

Then the police learned that his visit to the Turkish embassy in Washington was stormy because he had tried to get a visa despite the expiry of his passport.

FBI documents presented to the court said that in addition to monitoring his moves, police had questioned Alebbini on several occasions. They also monitored his phone calls and his social media posts.

He had expressed frustration over US policy in the Middle East and the police arrest after his visit to the Turkish embassy.

“You will regret it,” he said, in one of his posts.

Media reports also said that Alebbini had told FBI investigators he was “the perfect recruit for ISIS.”