USA: Kazakh national residing in New York pleads guilty to trying to support IS
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 January 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, USA: Kazakh national residing in New York pleads guilty to trying to support IS, 20 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a4793.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 20, 2017
Akhror Saidakhmetov (left) of Kazakhstan appears in a Brooklyn federal court in February 2015.
A Kazakh citizen residing in New York has pleaded guilty to having conspired to provide material support to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
Akhror Saidakhmetov, 21, entered his plea in federal court in Brooklyn on January 19.
Saidakhmetov, one of six individuals charged in the case, faces up to 15 years in prison and deportation to Kazakhstan.
He was arrested in February 2015 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was attempting to fly to Istanbul.
Prosecutors say Saidakhmetov was on his way to Syria in order to join IS militants.
According to charging documents, Saidakhmetov had also expressed interest in joining the U.S. military to either pass information to the IS group to help in their attacks or to kill as many U.S. soldiers as possible.
Based on reporting by Reuters and newsday.com
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
