This is now a weekly occurrence that’s very unsettling to say the least. Two more wannabe terrorists have luckily been stopped before they “chop their heads”. Yea, these guys want to be barbaric animals all in the name of Allah. Pretty sick, huh?
A Virginia man who was allegedly attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and a man accused of helping him have been arrested, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested Friday afternoon at the Richmond International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Chicago. Officials said once he reached Chicago, he intended to board a flight to Amman, Jordan, with an ultimate destination of Syria.
Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, also of Woodbridge, was arrested Friday evening after returning from driving Farrokh to Richmond.
Farrokh, who is a U.S. citizen originally from Pennsylvania, has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Elhassan, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident originally from Sudan, has been charged with aiding and abetting Farrokh’s attempt to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to the criminal complaints, Farrokh been trying to leave the United States and join ISIL in Syria since Nov. 20, 2015. Farrokh purchased an airline ticket on Dec. 21, 2015, for flights departing on Jan. 15 from Richmond with an ultimate arrival destination of Jordan, and would then travel to Syria.
The complaints state Elhassan introduced Farrokh to a person who Elhassan believed had connections to individuals engaged in jihad overseas. The person was an FBI informant cooperating with law enforcement as part of a plea deal for a reduced sentence in a criminal case, according to the complaint.
Elhassan also knew of Farrokh’s plans to travel to Syria to join ISIL, a journey Farrokh believed was facilitated by the informant, and two other associates — also FBI informants. Farrokh told the informants that he lied to his family and had informed them that he intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to study.
In a taped conversation between Elhassan and one of the informants, the Sudanese-born man reported that Farrokh was close to leaving for Syria, and that his route would be through Jordan, not Turkey as previously planned.
According to the complaint, Farrokh told Elhassan that he “wanted to go right away and ‘chop their heads.’”
