Terrorism In US: Pennsylvania Man Linked To ISIS, California Al Qaeda Supporter Face Terror Charges

Two men were charged Thursday in the United States over their alleged support for terrorist groups, according to reports. The news comes the same day the United Nations warned that some countries are failing to implement sanctions against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

A 19-year-old Pennsylvania man, identified as Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, was arrested Thursday on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to the Department of Justice. The teenager allegedly ran more than 50 pro-ISIS Twitter accounts for recruiting purposes. The accounts also advocated violence on U.S. soil by pledging allegiance to ISIS.

“According to the allegations in the complaint, Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz conspired to provide and attempted to provide material support to ISIL [ISIS] by propagating their hateful rhetoric on social media and aiding individuals in their pursuit of traveling overseas to join the designated foreign terrorist organization,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin said, in a statement Thursday. “A prior physical search of Aziz’s residence also revealed a tactical-style backpack in his closet, which contained high-capacity weapons magazines, ammunition, a knife, and other survival items.”

Separately, in California, a 22-year-old man was indicted for attempting to travel overseas to join al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front. Adam Shafi of Fremont, California, was stopped by officials at San Francisco International Airport in June as he was about to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey.

An affidavit filed by the FBI reportedly claimed that Shafi knew the terrorist group when he tried to provide material support or resources to it. He pledged allegiance and vowed to fight for the terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, 15 members of the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to disrupt ISIS revenue from oil and antiquities sales, ransom payments, and other criminal activities.

"We already have a lot of these tools ... we're going to be bringing together a lot of strands, but what we most need now is states to do what they're supposed to do," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

The resolution "expresses concern about the lack of implementation" of previous resolutions targeting al Qaeda and ISIS, including an "insufficient level of reporting" by states on measures they have taken to implement U.N. sanctions.

The news comes in the aftermath of the latest terror attack in San Bernardino, California, where a couple, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, opened fire at a social services center, killing 14 people. Some reports also claimed that one of the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook, might have been in contact with people linked to at least two terrorist groups, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.