Arrests in US terrorism probe of youth traveling to Syria

ST. PAUL, Minnesota - The Associated Press

This March 9, 2012, file photo shows FBI spokesman Kyle Loven giving a tour of the Emergency Operations Center at the new Minneapolis-area field office in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Loven, spokesman for the Minneapolis office of the FBI, said six people were arrested Sunday, April 19, 2015, but gave no further details. AP Photo

Arrests have been made in connection with a terrorism investigation into youth who have traveled or tried to travel to Syria to fight with militants, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, federal authorities said April 19.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said the arrests were made April 19 in Minneapolis and San Diego and there was no threat to public safety. Spokesman Ben Petok did not give the number of people arrested or give details about the charges.
     
The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI planned a news conference April 20 to announce details.
     
An FBI spokesman in San Diego referred questions to a spokesman in Minneapolis, who said April 19 he could not comment.
     
Authorities say a handful of Minnesota residents have traveled to Syria to fight with militants within the last year. At least one has died while fighting for the ISIL group.
     
Since 2007, more than 22 young Somali men have also traveled from Minnesota to Somalia to join the terrorist group Shabab.
     
Four Minnesotans have already been charged in connection with supporting terror groups in Syria, including the ISIL group.
     
One man, 19-year-old Hamza Ahmed, was stopped at a New York City airport in November as he and three others were attempting to travel to Syria. Ahmed has been indicted for lying to the FBI during a terrorism investigation, conspiring to provide material support to the ISIL group, and attempting to provide material support. He has pleaded not guilty.
     
But there have been no public charges filed against his three companions, and little information had been released about them. An FBI affidavit said they are all between the ages of 19 and 20.