“In February of this year, Nagi said he supported ISIS for burning a captured Jordanian pilot to death, because the pilot was part of a military force that burns and kills Muslims by dropping bombs on them. The witness quoted Nagi as stating, ‘do to them what they do to you.'” That’s from the Qur’an: “So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you” (Qur’an 2:194).
“With arrest of a Western New York native, the fight with ISIS hits home,” by Dan Herbeck, Buffalo News, July 29, 2015:
Arafat M. Nagi used the Internet to voice his elation when the Islamic State terrorist group beheaded its victims. He bought a machete, night-vision goggles and other combat gear. And he made two trips to the Middle East, allegedly attempting to link up with ISIS leaders.
But he was also a disabled, unemployed 44-year-old man who depended on family for financial support.
Was he a legitimate terrorist threat, intent on joining one of the world’s most feared terrorist organizations? Or merely a loudmouthed crackpot, spouting off but causing no actual harm?
Those are some of the questions that arose Wednesday after the Lackawanna man was arrested by members of an anti-terrorism task force on felony charges that he attempted “to provide material support and resources … that is, personnel and property” to ISIS, also known as ISIL, “a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
His attorney, Jeremy D. Schwartz, said Nagi “absolutely denies trying to join” ISIS “or trying to recruit other people to join.”
But U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said Nagi caused other people in Lackawanna to fear him when he spouted off his support for ISIS and made attempts to join the group. Hochul said Nagi is accused of using a Twitter account to send out tweets celebrating beheadings, torture and other acts of terror used by ISIS against its perceived enemies.
On May 18, 2014, according to court papers, Nagi tweeted a photograph of three severed heads, with the words, “God is the Greatest. The three heads, those who dug their graves by their own hands.”
Nine weeks later, Nagi tweeted another photo of six severed heads, with the words “slaughtered by the hands of God’s Soldiers.”
And back in 2002, authorities said, Nagi had cheered and supported the actions of the Lackawanna Six, the six Yemeni-American men who traveled to Afghanistan to train with al-Qaida and meet with Osama bin Laden, the then-leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed thousands of Americans.
“Members of the Lackawanna community” were fearful of Nagi, telling investigators that he “espoused violent jihad and posed a threat to those of us in the United States,” Hochul said.
A source close to the investigation told The Buffalo News: “The FBI had been watching him for some time and arrested him because he was planning to take action today, preparing to leave and go fight.”
A relative of Nagi’s told The News that he believes Nagi was trying to recruit him to a radical Islam point of view during a discussion about six months ago.
During one “rant,” Nagi told him that he supported the violent actions of ISIS and urged him to also support the group, said the relative, who spoke on the condition that he would not be identified by The News.
“I think he is influenced by things he sees on the Internet and on TV about ISIS,” the relative said of Nagi. “He doesn’t know why the U.S. is dropping bombs on ISIS. ISIS is killing more Muslims than any other religion. … He would constantly put down the U.S.”
The relative said he refused to agree with Nagi’s views. “I told him, if you criticized the Yemen government like that, you’d get your head blown off. I told him the U.S. is the only place where you could have a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu and people from other religions all living next to each other and getting along.”
He said Nagi responded to that by saying three words: “Don’t trust them.”
Hochul noted that last year, his office charged a Rochester man with trying to recruit people for terrorist organizations.
“Unfortunately, this is another occasion where the worldwide fight against terrorism has returned to Western New York,” he said.
In federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi asked a judge not to release Nagi on bail, calling him “a danger to the community” and predicting that he will flee from the area if he gets the opportunity. Nagi is jailed for now, and a detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Prosecutors have not charged Nagi with planning any specific act of terrorism in America. FBI Special Agent Steven L. Lanser said authorities monitored Nagi’s activities “for about a year” before arresting him Wednesday. He was not arrested earlier because investigators were not aware of anything he did that would put anyone in imminent danger, Lanser said.
Federal agents believed that Nagi was preparing this week to leave Lackawanna and travel to the Middle East to offer himself to ISIS as a fighter, sources close to the case told The News.
Among the allegations made against Nagi in a 28-page criminal complaint:
• A cooperating witness who was “previously convicted of terrorism offenses” told the FBI last August that Nagi “talks about jihad to various people in the Lackawanna community and that it is common for Nagi to get in verbal altercations over his jihadi beliefs. Jihad, in this context, refers to violent jihad, including fighting of the type occurring in Syria.”
• Nagi traveled to the Middle East for about two months last year, returning last Sept. 19. Government records show that he visited Turkey and Yemen. He also traveled to Turkey for one day in 2012, cutting short a planned three-month trip because of a gallbladder ailment. Federal agents believe the purpose of the trips was to offer himself as a supporter of ISIS.
• Nagi pledged to support and obey ISIS in at least two tweets last year.
• Nagi’s Twitter account had 412 followers, and he was a follower of 278 Twitter accounts, including many that featured “profile pictures” of ISIS flags, photos of bin Laden and other terrorist leaders, photos of recent beheadings and violent terrorism images.
• He repeatedly posted tweets celebrating violent attacks by ISIS, including one in May 2014 showing a person being beheaded. The tweet included the words “Today, this filth has been killed in the state of Hums. He waged a tougher war against Muslims. It is your paradise, rather, slaughter.”
• Last December, a cooperating witness told the FBI that Nagi had visited him the previous month and espoused radical political and religious views. “Nagi expressed agreement with” ISIS tactics that included “killing of innocent men, women and children, believing that they were justified because the victims were not Muslims.” The witness told the FBI that Nagi had taken an “oath” to support ISIS and that he may be “compelled” to act in support of the terrorist group, including taking action in the United States.
• In February of this year, Nagi said he supported ISIS for burning a captured Jordanian pilot to death, because the pilot was part of a military force that burns and kills Muslims by dropping bombs on them. The witness quoted Nagi as stating, “do to them what they do to you.”
• Last year, Nagi used the eBay online shopping site to purchase numerous items of battle gear, including “tactical vests” with armor, combat boots, camouflage combat pants, hard-knuckled tactical gloves, a “military-style” knife and machete, and flags and headbands supporting terror groups….
Gary says
“slaughtered by the hands of God’s Soldiers.”
What?
Apparently Mr. Nagi doesn’t read the Bible:
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!
Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Yahweh of Armies, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 5:20-24)
Wait!? What?!
They despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Woe to Mr. Nagi, and all the muslims of the world that doubt the validity of the Word of the Holy One of Israel.
Death to Israel?
I think not…
Woe to those who despise the word of the Holy One of Israel.
mortimer says
An ideology based on religious discrimination…Islam.
An ideology based on the RACIAL magisterium of Arabs…Islam.
Arab Muslims have an Allah-given right to abuse dirty kafirs and commit genocide. They even consider genocide a good deed that pleases their delusional god.
Nagi ‘bought a machete’ to use against Americans.
How many Muslims in your neighborhood own a machete? Why do they own one?
Shane says
We need to terminate these people. Too bad there isn’t a secret organization that targets these Islamic traitors for termination. We need a group like this!
Jay Boo says
“Becoming a Muslim is the best decision you will ever make.”
— Said the imam.
Pig bath of blood ideology
Allah is the EXCUSE Muslims use to rationalize their ideology’s unrepentant rudeness and shameless feeling of entitlement.
mortimer says
Nagi’s ‘decision’ was to behead innocent Buffalonians because they were Americans and non-Muslims.
Religious discrimination and sadism.
Islam is the inversion of natural morality that is able to justify any crime.
RonaldB says
Sounds to me like the actual evidence against this guy is pretty thin.
There’s a whole lot of reprehensible opinion, a definite verbal support of ISIS and jihad, which is protected speech, a few trips to the Middle East, which is not conclusive evidence, and the stockpiling of some legal gear, which is a red light but still not illegal.
We have to be careful about sanctioning the jailing of someone, in the US, for what is basically a violent opinion. The same logic can, and in Europe has been, used against anti-jihad bloggers who discuss self-defense.
Jack Diamond says
The question is what is meant here by the charge “to provide material support and resources … that is, personnel and property” to ISIS, also known as ISIL, “a designated foreign terrorist organization.” The article mentions attempts to recruit for the Islamic State but doesn’t go into detail about that or his attempts to link with ISIS leaders, it does indicate he was about to leave and join ISIS (which apparently he has tried to do before) which promoted his arrest. He was not just a supporter of the Lackawanna Six, he knew them well, was an associate, and his name had come up many times in that investigation. This Yemeni had also been arrested two years ago for threatening to behead his daughter (arrested in possession of a large knife in his vehicle). It would seem he might be more than just some internet crackpot and armchair warrior.
RonaldB says
I agree the circumstances are iffy. I don’t know about his connections with the Yeminis, as it is not mentioned in the news report. The report does say that Nagi is a ” Western New York native”, so he could not be the Yemini who threatened to behead his daughter.
But, if he was being charged for supporting the Lackawanna six, then that should have been reported.
Here is why I’m being legalistic: I think we’re more in danger from having information on Islam and Muslim subversion suppressed, than we are from actual violent incidents: although when the jihad progresses, there won’t be much difference.
Therefore, we need to be alert to those cases where a person is jailed for the content of his speech, rather than his participation in, or specific advocacy of, violent acts. Surely, once the precedent is set, the counter-jihad will be the target. The Muslims are quite expert at hiding the suppression of criticism under the rubric of “freedom of expression” and the elimination of the advocacy of violence.
Jack Diamond says
He’s a Yemeni-American born in Buffalo. Here is an article mentioning the daughter
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/lackawanna/accused-isis-recruiter-had-threatened-to-behead-daughter-sources-say-20150729
another concerning the Lackawanna Six
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/police-courts/nagi-was-friend-of-some-lackawanna-six-members-police-sources-say-20150729
Jack Diamond says
this was from the Lackawanna Police Blotter and quoted by Daniel Greenfield
“Officers Pyjas and Fino responded to a Ingham Avenue address for a menacing complaint. After speaking with a witness who states that she was with Arafat M. Nagi’s, 42, daughter when he pulled up next to them and displayed a large knife. Nagi’s daughter ran into her residence to call 911 and he told the witness that he was going to shoot and behead his daughter. Nagi was located a short distance away inside of his vehicle. He was arrested after the officers located a large knife inside of his vehicle he was Nagi was charged with menacing 3rd degree and criminal possession of a weapon 4th degree.”
I think we have a Muslim here capable of violent acts.
Jack Diamond says
He was never charged in connection with the Lackawanna Six, just his name came up many times in the investigation and he was “remembered.”
Jack Diamond says
Your concern is valid if he were only being jailed for the content of his speech. We all know who wants to criminalize speech that “defames religion” as a hate crime. Criticizing Islam is not yet an actual crime (unless you make a film about Muhammad) but socially it is very much a hate crime, for which you will pay a heavy price. You will be branded a bigot, marginalized, and not invited to the best parties. You will even be blamed for causing Muslim violence by your “criticisms” (or just recitations of fact).
As this Caliphate “thing” metastasizes however there is going to be a growing conversation, not just about ending Muslim immigration here, but about revisiting treason and sedition laws in dealing with Muslim American citizens who have renounced their citizenship by pledging loyalty to the Caliphate (this Caliphate or the next one or the next one…).
RonaldB says
Jack Diamond,
Many thanks for your clarifications, which further elaborate on our twin dilemma: maintain the very essential and necessary freedoms we have, including speech and bearing arms, and protecting ourselves from obvious but potential threats that haven’t yet metastasized into a full-blown attempted or actual murder.
zulu says
ot
Soaring number of sickening attacks against British Jews: Anti-Semitic incidents more than doubled in parts of the country over the past year
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3179266/Soaring-number-sickening-attacks-against-British-Jews-Number-anti-Semitic-incidents-doubled-parts-country.html#ixzz3hNvFK2BX
beanny007 says
I thought Islam was the religion of peace. What happened?
Angemon says
Ah, another loser convert.
duh_swami says
What kind of disability? This guy is too far gone to be cured by anything but lead injections. They should let him go, pay his way even, lead injections are easy to come by in ISIS land…
Jack Diamond says
Not so disabled he couldn’t (attempt to) behead his daughter with a big knife (see link above)
and body armor, boots, night vision goggles, and a burn kit don’t imply he was exactly using a walker.
“Nagi, who was born in Buffalo, said he has not worked since 2009, when he was injured. He told the judge he previously worked delivering medication to pharmacies for Prestige Delivery Systems, but was fired. He also described himself as disabled, though he never has filed for disability benefits. Nagi said he relies on family members to pay his bills.” –The Buffalo News 7/29/15
Cyber jihad is obviously a full-time occupation and as for his relatives paying his way, I’m sure he reminded them those who kill and are killed fighting in allah’s cause can take 70 relatives into paradise with them and they were fine with the deal– and probably more than eager for him to hurry up and get on with it. Of course he failed, just like his gallbladder failed. Wanna but lacking.
Clay says
Allah loves the believers and hates the unbelievers. Unbelivers are not humans and a Muslium can do anything they want to them. What is the problem?
rabrooks says
Yes, our live are forfeit to allah until we utter those words……………..They make overt threats against our country, and our stupid ass sos can only say “this is disturbing.” Threats are made against our spokes persons, and they are ignored by the law. However, if I make a “kill all mudslime” statement, I will get censored, reported to and probably get a visti from the FBI/local PD. Our country acts like we have already “uttered those words perfectly, and given the obligatory charity.”
It’s war. We have to fight them. It seems that the only way we are to be understood is to attack them here, just as they do there. Just as any Christian is liable for the mis-deeds of the US, any mudslime should be liable for the mis-deed of mudslimes anywhere. That ought to chill them out!