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U.S. Justice Department photos via WXYZ
Three Lansing men, who are natives of Kenya, were arrested Monday afternoon on charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.
Members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Muse Abdikadir Muse (Muse Muse) at the Grand Rapids airport after he checked in for a flight for the first of a series of destinations on his way to Mogadishu, Somalia, the Justice Department said in a press release.
A short time later, agents arrested Mohamud Abdikadir Muse (Mohamud Muse), and Mohamed Salat Haji (Haji). All three men are naturalized U.S. citizens born in Kenya.
According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Muse Muse this month booked a Jan. 21 flight from Grand Rapids to Mogadishu. The criminal complaint alleges that Haji and Mohamud Muse aided in the purchase of the ticket and drove Muse Muse to the airport, knowing the purpose of the travel was for Muse Muse to join and fight for ISIS.
Federal authorities say the trio pledged allegiance to ISIS through videos they recorded, and Muse Muse and Haji allegedly discussed with each other their desire to join ISIS, to kill nonbelievers, and even potentially use a car for a martyrdom operation to run down non-believers in the U.S. if they weren't able to travel abroad.
An FBI agent went undercover on Facebook and posed as an ISIS recruiter, WXYZ's Simon Shaykhet reports.
