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United States News Title: Two N.J. Men Face Terrorism Charges Two New Jersey men were arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as they were allegedly trying to board separate flights to Egypt on their way to join the terrorist group Al Shabaab and wage "violent jihad" against people outside the U.S., prosecutors said Sunday. Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20 years old, of North Bergen, N.J. and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, N.J., were charged with conspiring to kill, maim and kidnap outside of the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Newark, N.J. They face up to life in prison if convicted of the charge. Mr. Alessa, an American whose parents are Palestinian, and Mr. Almonte, a naturalized citizen from the Dominican Republic, were taken into custody at JFK on Saturday, prosecutors said. The men were planning to fly to Egypt and then make their way to Somalia by boat to join Al Shabaab, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, prosecutors said. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that Messrs. Almonte and Alessa had already checked in for their flights and were readying to board when they were taken into custody. He said there was "a scuffle" when Mr. Alessa refused to get down on the ground upon the command from an officer. Messrs. Almonte and Alessa were taken to the headquarters of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, N.J., and are expected to appear in Newark federal court Monday. It was unclear Sunday if the men had retained lawyers or if lawyers would be appointed for them at their court appearance. Law-enforcement officials said there was no immediate threat within the U.S. from the men. The case is the latest in a terrorism trend that worries Federal Bureau of Investigation officials: young American men, often from Somali immigrant families, being drawn to leave the U.S. and travel to that country for terrorism training. The FBI has been investigating and arresting such men across the country for more than a year. The FBI had been tipped about their activities by email in October 2006 and an undercover New York Police Department Intelligence Division officer recorded various meetings with the men, starting in 2009, in which they allegedly discussed their plans and a willingness to commit acts of violence in the U.S., according to prosecutors. In response to a question about whether or not there are undercover officers in other states across the country, Commissioner Kelly said: "We work with federal authorities and we follow leads wherever those leads take us." Commissioner Kelly declined to comment about whether the men were on the no-fly list. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney in Newark said the no-fly list isn't public.
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