New Yorker accused of trying to join ISIS

A New York man has been arrested and will appear in court Wednesday to face charges that he attempted to join Islamic extremists in Syria.

Arafat Nagi, 42, traveled to Turkey to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to the Justice Department, and had pledged allegiance to group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

{mosads}He had also purchased military gear including combat boots, a machete and night vision goggles, the department said, and expressed outrage at the killing of rebels in Yemen, which he blamed on the U.S.

“As alleged, Arafat Nagi pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and the leader of this terrorist organization,” U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said in a statement.

“After buying military combat gear, he traveled twice to Turkey in an effort to help the group,” Hochul added. “Thanks to the combined efforts of law enforcement and community members, this defendant is no longer capable of achieving his goal of joining the most despicable group of our time.”

Nagi is from the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Lackawanna.

He was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The arrest continues a trend of aggressive law enforcement actions against ISIS adherents and potential “lone wolf” attackers, whom U.S. officials say pose a bigger threat to the country than al Qaeda.

To deal with the changing environment, U.S. agents have changed their posture to file more charges such as those against Nagi, even when the alleged terrorist’s actual ability to commit an act of violence remains somewhat questionable.

Wednesday’s announcement comes after the Monday arrest of a man who, with the aid of a government source and an undercover FBI agent, planned to bury a bomb on a beach in Key West, Fla.