Feds: Man Wanted To Form Small Army For Islamic State

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) —

A former New Jersey man who traveled to the Middle East last year wanted to form a small army to fight with the Islamic State group, federal authorities said Monday, weeks after the man’s brother was arrested in the same alleged plot. Nader Saadeh, 20, was charged with attempting to provide material support to the terror group.

The former Rutherford resident’s arrest comes after authorities arrested his 23-year-old brother, Alaa, and 21-year-old Samuel Rahamin Topaz of Fort Lee on similar charges.

Authorities say Nader Saadeh traveled to the Middle East in May to join the Islamic State but was arrested in Jordan and had been held there in custody. It was not immediately clear when or how he returned to the United States. He could face several decades in prison if convicted on all counts.

Between 2012 and 2013, Saadeh allegedly expressed his hatred for the United States and his wish to form a small army via electronic messages. Prosecutors have said the Saadeh brothers had numerous meetings and exchanged text messages and phone calls with Topaz and 20-year-old Munther Omar Saleh, a New York City college student who was arrested in June and charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

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