Two US citizens charged for giving ISIS material support
By a Biometrica staffer
Two US citizens have been charged for providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. They were detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and had recently been transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Born in Trinidad & Tobago, Emraan Ali was charged in a complaint with providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Nineteen-year old Jihad Ali, born in New York, was charged in a complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS. Both defendants had their initial appearances on Wednesday in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.
Emraan Ali traveled to Syria with his family, which included his son Jihad Ali, to join ISIS in March 2015. Both he and his son received military and religious training and served as fighters in support of the terrorist organization.
In addition to serving as a fighter, Emraan Ali served in various other roles in support of ISIS. Emraan Ali, 53, and Jihad Ali finally surrendered to the SDF near Baghuz in March 2019, during the last sustained ISIS battles to maintain territory in Syria.