A western New York man traveled overseas in a bid to join ISIS after buying night-vision goggles, a machete and body armor — and pledging his loyalty to the group on Twitter, the feds said Wednesday.
Arafat Nagi, of Lackawanna, posted multiple photos of beheadings and severed heads in 2014 before flying to Turkey, where he stayed for 10 days before continuing on to Yemen for a month, a criminal complaint said.
He was planning another trip, to Syria by way of Turkey and Yemen, within a few months, the complaint said.
Investigators learned of Nagi’s activities after being tipped off by residents alarmed by his jihadi rantings, which he espoused in person and on social media, the complaint said.
“One community member…felt that Nagi did pose a threat to this area,” said US Attorney William Hochul. “As you go through some of the items of combat military gear, which include at least in one instance, a weapon, we certainly took it very, very seriously, the possibility of danger to the community.”
Nagi, 44, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization.
He appeared federal court in Buffalo, where he was ordered held without bail. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.