A Washington, D.C., transit officer is the first American member of law enforcement to be charged with supporting ISIS, The New York Times reports. Court papers made available to the public Wednesday reveal that not only did the feds charge the officer, named Nicholas Young, with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, but that he had been under federal investigation for a staggering six years.
The Times shares details of the charge:
The charge is based on the allegation that Mr. Young bought gift cards worth $245 and sent their code numbers to someone he believed had joined ISIS in Syria, to help the group pay for mobile phone messaging with its supporters in the West.
The documents state that agents had been shadowing Mr. Young for almost six years, that he went to Libya twice in 2011 to aid a rebel group fighting Muammar el-Qaddafi, and that he had associated with two people convicted in 2012 on terrorism charges:
Amine El Khalifi, who pleaded guilty to plotting a suicide bombing at the United States Capitol; and Zachary A. Chesser, who admitted to trying to join the Shabab, a Somalia-based Islamist terror group, and to threatening violence against the creators of the television show “South Park.”
Mr. Young, a United States citizen who lives in Fairfax, Va., joined the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s police force in 2003. The authority, which said he was dismissed after his arrest on Wednesday, would not say where he was assigned or what kind of work he did.
An undercover law enforcement officer is at least partially responsible for nabbing Young. According to the Times, the FBI agent, David Martinez, befriended Young in 2011 and 2012. He testified that Young had talked about setting FBI agents' cars on fire with gasoline, and of kidnapping and torturing agents who'd interviewed people affiliated with Young.
Per the Times, Martinez's sworn affidavit adds that
Mr. Young knew he was probably under surveillance and that he took steps to evade it, like using disposable phones. But it said he did talk to the undercover officer about sneaking weapons into a federal courthouse, and stockpiling weapons.
Mr. Young came under F.B.I. scrutiny in 2010 because of his acquaintance with Mr. Chesser, and then he and the undercover officer met several times in 2011 with Mr. Khalifi and discussed violent jihad, the affidavit says.
In 2014, an F.B.I. informant posing as an American military veteran who supported ISIS met 20 times with Mr. Young, Agent Martinez wrote. Mr. Young advised him on how to set up anonymous email and text messaging accounts, how to travel to Syria to join ISIS without being caught, and even what gear he should take, the agent said.
It does not come as a shock that a terrorist would seek to infiltrate, or operate from within one of the institution's sworn to protect us. What better cover, or access, for a terrorist really? It also underscores how crucial it is to aid our intelligence communities and provide them with the tools necessary to perform their work successfully. As the case of Omar Mateen taught us, dropping an investigation of a suspicious party prematurely, or on frivolous grounds, can lead to a disastrous end. Thankfully Young was caught before he could do permanent damage.
Photo: Young's residence. Photo source: Twitter
(h/t: WeaselZippers)
