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Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, is the Uzbekistan citizen and Brooklyn resident accused of collaborating with Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abror Habibov, 30. According to authorities, their plans included: joining ISIS in Syria, assassinating President Obama, hijacking a plane, and enlisting in the United States military to spy for ISIS.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. He Wanted to Become a Martyr
According to local ABC Eyewitness News 7, friends Juraboev and Saidakhmetov, a citizen of Kazahkstan, were first noticed by law enforcement in the summer of 2014 after they wrote about their support for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria in an online forum.
Juraboev allegedly wrote:
“I am in USA now … 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.”
The FBI confirmed this and also tweeted that Juraboev intended to plant a bomb on Coney Island.
Juraboev plans for a terror attack included attacks against President Obama or planting a bomb on Coney Island
2. He Wanted to Go to Syria
Waging their jihad in the United States was just a back-up plan for Juraboev and Saidakhmetov. They wanted to go Syria and fight for the Islamic Caliphate.
NBC News reports that Habibov, a resident of Brooklyn currently in Florida and fellow Uzbekistan national had once employed Saidakhmetov at one of his many mall kiosks across the country, offered to help the two pay for their plan.
They also had plans to return from fighting for ISIS and wreak terror back in the United States.
Saidakhmetov’s mother tried stop him by taking away his passport.
3. His Plan Was ‘Aspirational’ Not ‘Operational’
After the FBI became wise to Juraboev, Saidakhmetov, and Habibov, they infiltrated and quashed it fairly quickly.
By implementing paid informations, the FBI was able to build a case against them. The New York Post writes:
During a conversation on or about Feb. 18, 2015, Saidakhmetov told a paid informant that he would willingly purchase a ticket to travel on Feb. 25 — and he proposed that once on board, he would find an excuse to gain access to the pilot’s cabin and divert the plan to ISIS-held territory.
Police stated they stepped in instead of letting their case grow because they believed that Juraboev and Saidakhmetov were legitimately gearing up to travel to Syria.
4. He Was Arrested Last Night
The official FBI report outlines the details of the downfall of the trio with Juraboev planning to leave for Syria next month and Saidakhmetov arrested at JFK International Airport attempting to board a flight this morning. It reads:
The investigation subsequently revealed that Juraboev and Saidakhmetov devised a plan to travel to Turkey and then to Syria for the purpose of waging jihad on behalf of ISIL. Saidakhmetov, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Kazakhstan, was arrested early this morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. Juraboev, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan, had previously purchased a plane ticket to travel from New York to Istanbul and was scheduled to leave the United States next month. Habibov, a resident of Brooklyn and a citizen of Uzbekistan, helped fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts to join ISIL.
Habibov was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida and was given a March 3 court date in New York.
All three defendants were arrested overnight. One at John F. Kennedy airport while attempting to board a flight to Turkey.
5. He Could Face 15-Years in Prison
Juraboev, Saidakhmetov, and Habibov are all innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. If proven guilty, they could each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.