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Three Brooklyn men charged with supporting Islamic State

Fighters from the Islamic State parade in a commandeered Iraqi armored vehicle down a main road in the northern city of Mosul, Iraq, on June 23, 2014.(Photo: AP)One of three Brooklyn men charged Wednesday with planning to fight for Islamic State in Syria also allegedly offered to kill President Obama and plant a bomb on Coney Island if the terror group ordered him to do so, the Justice Department said.Police arrested Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, a citizen of Kazakhstan and resident of Brooklyn, at John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday as he attempted to board a flight to Istanbul. Prosecutors say he was en route to Syria where he planned to fight for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as ISIS or ISIL, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn.The complaint also charges Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, and Abror Habibov, 30, both citizens of Uzbekistan living in Brooklyn. Juraboev and Saidakhmetov will appear in court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in Brooklyn. Habibov appeared Wednesday in a Jacksonville, Fla., court.Juraboev allegedly posted on Hilofatnews.com, an Uzbek-language, ISIS-affiliated website, in August 2014 that he would kill President Obama if ordered to do so by ISIS, the complaint said. Saidakhmetov allegedly expressed his intent to buy a machine gun and shoot police officers and FBI agents if stopped from joining Islamic State in Syria, the complaint said.Federal investigators have watched Juraboev and Saidakhmetov since the summer of 2014 after they posted online that they supported the establishment by force of an Islamic caliphate, or dynasty, in Iraq and Syria, the complaint said. Investigators say the men devised a plan to travel through Turkey to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIS. Juraboev purchased a plane ticket for travel from New York to Istanbul for March 29, the complaint said.Juraboev allegedly pledged his allegiance to Islamic State on Aug. 8, writing on the Uzbek language website: "I am in the USA now but we don't have any arms. But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I'm saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels."Federal investigators visited Juraboev in his apartment and spoke with him about the post a week later. Juraboev allegedly reiterated his support for Islamic State and confirmed that he would shoot the president if Islamic State issued an direct order and backed it up with justification from the Koran, the Islamic holy book.Despite the visit from the FBI, Juraboev continued to talk with Saidakhmetov about a plan to fight for Islamic State. Later in August, investigators intercepted an electronic communication between Juraboev and Abu Bakr Bagdodi, the Iraq-based administrator for Islamic State News, in which he asked for advice on how to sneak out the United States without getting caught by the FBI.In one recorded conversation with Juraboev, Saidakhmetov allegedly proposed joining the U.S. military so he could pass strategic information to Islamic State. When Juraboev discounted the plan, Saidakhmetov said he could also open fire on American troops to kill as many of them as possible.Habibov, who operates shopping mall kiosks that sell kitchenware and repair mobile phones in Jacksonville, Savannah, Philadelphia and in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Va., allegedly helped gather supporters in the U.S. to pay for Saidakhmetov's travel to join Islamic State, the complaint said. Saidakhmetov worked last year for Habibov at kiosks in Savannah, Philadelphia and Chesapeake."The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies," U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. "We will vigorously prosecute those who attempt to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad on behalf of ISIL and those who support them."If convicted, the men could be sentences to 15 years in prison.Will ice, snow shut down the South...again?Feb 25, 2015