Feds: Bronx Man Busted At JFK Was Syria-Bound With Plans To Join ISIS
U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said Raishani was arrested Wednesday as he tried to board a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport to go to Syria. Authorities said Raishani -- who goes by Adam -- wanted to join the militant group after helping another man get there.
As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, Raishani told an FBI agent he felt humiliated for not having joined the man.
Authorities said Raishani's plans were foiled because he unwittingly contacted a person who was a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement.
That person, authorities said, introduced him to an undercover law enforcement officer who posed as someone who also wanted to fight for the Islamic State group.
According to court papers, Raishani suggested posing as a nurse while the undercover posed as a refugee aid worker, so they could cross international borders without being stopped.
After recorded discussions, he decided to go to Syria. Raishani paid off most of his credit card debt, bought clothes and boots at a sporting goods store, and then went to JFK.
He was arrested before he could get on a flight to Lisbon with a connection to Istanbul.
Outside court Thursday, Raishani's father insisted his son was not bound for Syria, but rather Yemen to visit his sick sister, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
The married father and home health care aid faces up to 20 years if convicted, Jones reported.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)