ISIS Coming To New York? FBI Arrests Long Island Man For Trying To Join Islamic State In Syria To ‘Wage Violent Jihad’

A Long Island, New York, man has been arrested by the FBI for trying to join the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, in Syria, according to reports Saturday. Officials charged Elvis Redzepagic at Brooklyn federal court with attempting to provide material support to the militant group.

According to the FBI officials, 26-year-old Redzepagic traveled to the Middle East twice between July 2015 and August 2016 to join ISIS in Syria. However, his attempts failed on the both the occasions as he could not find a way to enter the troubled country.

Redzepagic reportedly told the law enforcement authorities that he was ready to strap a bomb and sacrifice himself while he attempted to enter Syria from Turkey.

“This kid’s not normal,” Redzepagic’s uncle Ricky Redzepagic told the Daily News. “He never works. He does drugs.”

The New York Police Department said Redzepagic was also arrested on Feb. 28 at Midtown South for jumping a turnstile, CBS New York reported.

“This defendant made numerous attempts to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad,” U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said. “We will continue to track down and prosecute individuals like the defendant before they are able to become foreign fighters or harm the United States and its allies.”

Redzepagic was in touch with a person he believed to be the commander of a battalion in Syria and a member of ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front in 2015, according to reports. In August 2016, he reportedly attempted to enter the country through Jordan; however, he was stopped and deported by Jordanian authorities.

“Redzepagic, a U.S. citizen living in Long Island, made multiple attempts to join ISIS or al-Nusrah Front in Syria where he wanted to engage in violent jihad, which could have resulted in the death of countless individuals,” Special Agent in Charge, Angel Melendez of Homeland Security Investigation, New York, said, according to CBS. “This arrest underscores the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies across the globe in identifying and bringing these extremists to justice before they are able to commit terrorist attacks.”

Redzepagic’s attorney Mildred Whalen told NBC New York that they will ask the court to provide treatment and care for the defendant instead of imprisonment.

"Mr. Redzepagic is an American citizen who has been fully cooperative with the government's investigation," Whalen told NBC. "We will work with Mr. Redzepagic's family to convince the court and the government that Mr. Redzepagic needs treatment and care, not imprisonment."