‘Jihad On Your Tuff!’ – How A US Citizen Flew To Kenya To Join Al-Shabaab
A New Jersey citizen who flew to Kenya to join al Shabaab pleaded guilty on Monday and could face up to 20 years in jail after being caught by Kenyan authorities in December 2023.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York issued a news statement on Monday.
The 24-year-old guy apparently planned to join the terrorist group in December 2023 with the goal of hitting ‘evil America’.
Motivated by the Hamas attack on Israel, he moved to Egypt in July 2023, and he frequently declared his intention to wage Jihad in several of his social media postings and interactions.
Karrem Nasr, a US citizen, has been indicted after travelling to Kenya, intending to join al Shabaab. US prosecutors claim he was inspired by the October 7 attacks in Israel and was arrested in Kenya while trying to join AS in Somalia pic.twitter.com/ioARmr4hYv
— Paul Olind (@OlindPaul) December 29, 2023
“Starting in at least in or about November 2023, (he) repeatedly expressed his desire and plans to join Al Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization that has attacked Americans and American allies around the world, and wage jihad,” part of the release read.
In one of his posts in 2023, he wrote, “Jihad on your turf. Coming to a US location near you.”
In the message, he also included emojis of an airplane, a bomb, and a fire, most likely referencing the September 11, 2001, terrorist assault in New York.
His final step was to join a Somali terrorist outfit to obtain the military training he needed to carry out Jihad in the United States.
He scheduled a trip and lodgings to Kenya on December 14, 2023, with the intention of meeting with al Shabaab militants to discuss the next steps.
Unbeknownst to him, a confidential informant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had entered his inner circle and obtained all of his trip arrangements.
A 23 year old Muslim US citizen traveled from Egypt to Kenya to join the al Shabaab Islamic terrorist group in order to duplicate the October 7 attack in America. He described America as "evil" and the "head of the snake."
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 29, 2023
He was posting his plans and threats on X.
He is… pic.twitter.com/4rQlxrOwCc
“I would like to become a martyr for the sake of Allah. I think in coming years, inshallah we are going to see here big events in Egypt and the other Arab countries,” he reportedly told the informant.
“Inshallah if this happens; I will come back to Egypt, inshallah to help the Muslims in Egypt in their struggle to establish here in Egypt.”
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He further informed the informant that he intended to wipe data from his smartphone and computer so that if he was apprehended, law enforcement would be unable to recover proof of his jihadist activities from that equipment.
When he arrived in Nairobi, he was caught by Kenyan officials before he could carry out his plans to chop “the head of the snake”. He was later extradited and landed in the United States on December 28, 2023.
BREAKING: Karrem Nasr, US citizen from New Jersey, has pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to the al Shabaab terrorist organization.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 28, 2025
Nasr was inspired to join after the Hamas-led October 7th massacre. pic.twitter.com/2BEIlZRBeu
Following his guilty plea, he awaits sentencing on June 30.
In the statement, US Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon praised the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force-Kenya for their help.
‘Jihad On Your Tuff!’ – How A US Citizen Flew To Kenya To Join Al-Shabaab
