New York Man Charged With Trying to Help Islamic State

An upstate New York man has been indicted Tuesday on charges of trying to assist Islamic State militants and plotting to kill U.S. soldiers.

A federal grand jury in Rochester indicted Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, of Rochester, on three counts of trying to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State militant group, prosecutors said, reports the Associated Press.

The Islamic State has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

According to court document, Elfgeeh tried to help three people to travel to Syria for joining the Islamic State last year. He also purchased two handguns and silencers as part of a plan to kill U. S. soldiers returning from Iraq.  Moreover, he also wanted to kill Shiites in the Rochester area, reports AP.

But his plans went awry as two of the individuals whom Elfgeeh helped were cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of a sting operation.

In fact, Elfgeeh purchased the gun from one of the men who cooperated with the FBI. The FBI then made the guns inoperable before the man handed it over to Elfgeeh, reports Reuters.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr said that U.S will continue to be aggressive in spotting and disrupting those who support terrorist groups like Islamic State who try to hurt Americans.

 "We are focused on breaking up these activities on the front end, before supporters of ISIL can make good on plans to travel to the region or recruit sympathizers to this cause," he said, referring to the Islamic State, reports The New York Times.