Police arrested a US couple planning to join Islamic State in Yemen just before they boarded a cargo ship bound for the country, according to the Justice Department Thursday.
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Court documents said newlyweds James Bradley, 20, from New York, and Arwa Muthana, 29, from Alabama, were IS sympathizers on their way to join the terrorist organization. Authorities caught them on the gangplank boarding the boat.
An undercover agent learned of Bradley's radicalized views in 2019, as well as his willingness to carry out an attack in the US. A friend of Bradley's was arrested for plotting to travel to Afghanistan and join the Taliban earlier that year, bringing Bradley to the FBI's attention.
Another agent received $1,000 from Bradley to cover his and Muthana's travel expenses on board the cargo ship.
Bradley "has continued to express his desire to carry out violence in support of radical Islamic ideology, directed his support and allegiance to ISIS, and attempted to travel overseas to join and fight for ISIS," the FBI said.
Both Bradley and Muthana face up to 20 years in prison on the charge of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
