A software engineer living in New Jersey for the past 22 years was leading a double life as a “sleeper agent” for the Hezbollah militant organisation, surveying landmarks in US for terror attacks from 2000 to 2005, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

Alexei Saab, 45, of Morristown, — also known as Ali Hassan Saab, Alex Saab, or “Rachid”—had a double identity.

By the day, he was a software engineer working in big tech companies and trying to pass off as an American citizen.

By night, he was “a terrorist and spy” trying to attack Americans at popular locations if Iran was attacked by the US, said Assistant US Attorney Samuel Adelsberg, reports AP news agency.

Saab was arrested in July 2019 after being questioned during 11 sessions over several weeks with FBI agents. He remained in federal custody.

It is being claimed that Saab provided photos and other detailed intel on New York City landmarks and transportation hubs to Hezbollah in 2003.

Saab had reconned dozens of locations in New York City, including the United Nations headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, the federal offices at 26 Federal Plaza, and local airports, tunnels, and bridges, including the George Washington Bridge.

Saab joined Hezbollah in 1996, and his earliest activities with the group include spying in Lebanon on the movements of Israeli and Southern Lebanese Army soldiers, and intelligence-gathering in Istanbul, the indictment alleges.

In 2000, Saab lawfully entered the United States using a Lebanese passport, and he became a naturalised US citizen in 2008, the indictment alleges.

Meanwhile, the alleged spy’s lawyer Saab’s lawyer, Marlon Kirton, argued that all the evidence in the case was from Saab himself and could not be considered reliable, according to AP.

And he noted that Hezbollah had never attacked Americans in the United States.

Saab has pleaded not guilty to charges related to terrorism and citizenship application fraud.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A software engineer living in New Jersey for the past 22 years was leading a double life as a “sleeper agent” for the Hezbollah militant organisation, surveying landmarks in US for terror attacks from 2000 to 2005, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

A software engineer living in New Jersey for the past 22 years was leading a double life as a “sleeper agent” for the Hezbollah militant organisation, surveying landmarks in US for terror attacks from 2000 to 2005, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Alexei Saab, 45, of Morristown, — also known as Ali Hassan Saab, Alex Saab, or “Rachid”—had a double identity. By the day, he was a software engineer working in big tech companies and trying to pass off as an American citizen. By night, he was “a terrorist and spy” trying to attack Americans at popular locations if Iran was attacked by the US, said Assistant US Attorney Samuel Adelsberg, reports AP news agency. Saab was arrested in July 2019 after being questioned during 11 sessions over several weeks with FBI agents. He remained in federal custody. It is being claimed that Saab provided photos and other detailed intel on New York City landmarks and transportation hubs to Hezbollah in 2003. Saab had reconned dozens of locations in New York City, including the United Nations headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, the federal offices at 26 Federal Plaza, and local airports, tunnels, and bridges, including the George Washington Bridge. Saab joined Hezbollah in 1996, and his earliest activities with the group include spying in Lebanon on the movements of Israeli and Southern Lebanese Army soldiers, and intelligence-gathering in Istanbul, the indictment alleges. In 2000, Saab lawfully entered the United States using a Lebanese passport, and he became a naturalised US citizen in 2008, the indictment alleges. Meanwhile, the alleged spy’s lawyer Saab’s lawyer, Marlon Kirton, argued that all the evidence in the case was from Saab himself and could not be considered reliable, according to AP. And he noted that Hezbollah had never attacked Americans in the United States. Saab has pleaded not guilty to charges related to terrorism and citizenship application fraud. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

This US IT engineer was a Hezbollah agent planning terror attacks in New York

The Trump administration is close to an agreement with Sudan to remove Khartoum from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and an announcement could be made in coming days, two U.S. officials said on Monday.

The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, one of the officials told Reuters, following similar U.S.-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But details were still being worked out, the source said.

Rapprochement between Israel and another Arab country would give U.S. President Donald Trump an opportunity to tout a new diplomatic achievement as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.

Sudan`s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to its toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir and makes it difficult for its transitional government to access urgently needed debt relief and foreign financing.

Many in Sudan see this as undeserved since Bashir was removed last year and Sudan has long cooperated with the United States on counter-terrorism.

A key sticking point in U.S.-Sudan talks has been Sudan`s insistence that any announcement of Khartoum`s de-listing not be explicitly linked to normalization with Israel. Differences remain between Sudanese political and military officials on how far and how fast to go in warming of relations with Israel.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Khartoum in August the normalization issue should not be linked to Sudan’s removal from the terrorism list.

One possibility, one U.S. official said, would be for Washington to first announce Sudan`s delisting and then leave it to Sudan and Israel to go public later with an agreement on establishing forging relations.

The UAE and fellow Gulf state Bahrain in September became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to sign agreements to establish formal ties with Israel, forged largely through shared fears of Iran.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Negotiations related to Sudan`s deposit in escrow of a $335 million settlement to victims of al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 are expected to conclude in the next two days, one of the U.S. government sources said.

After that, the Trump administration would notify Congress of its intent to remove Sudan from the list.

The Trump administration is close to an agreement with Sudan to remove Khartoum from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and an announcement could be made in coming days, two U.

The Trump administration is close to an agreement with Sudan to remove Khartoum from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and an announcement could be made in coming days, two U.S. officials said on Monday. The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, one of the officials told Reuters, following similar U.S.-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But details were still being worked out, the source said. Rapprochement between Israel and another Arab country would give U.S. President Donald Trump an opportunity to tout a new diplomatic achievement as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3. Sudan`s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to its toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir and makes it difficult for its transitional government to access urgently needed debt relief and foreign financing. Many in Sudan see this as undeserved since Bashir was removed last year and Sudan has long cooperated with the United States on counter-terrorism. A key sticking point in U.S.-Sudan talks has been Sudan`s insistence that any announcement of Khartoum`s de-listing not be explicitly linked to normalization with Israel. Differences remain between Sudanese political and military officials on how far and how fast to go in warming of relations with Israel. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Khartoum in August the normalization issue should not be linked to Sudan’s removal from the terrorism list. One possibility, one U.S. official said, would be for Washington to first announce Sudan`s delisting and then leave it to Sudan and Israel to go public later with an agreement on establishing forging relations. The UAE and fellow Gulf state Bahrain in September became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to sign agreements to establish formal ties with Israel, forged largely through shared fears of Iran. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Negotiations related to Sudan`s deposit in escrow of a $335 million settlement to victims of al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 are expected to conclude in the next two days, one of the U.S. government sources said. After that, the Trump administration would notify Congress of its intent to remove Sudan from the list.

US could soon take Sudan off state sponsors of terrorism list

The US Justice Department has used terrorism charges for the first time to indict a member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang.

Attorney General Bill Barr announced the charges against Salvador-based gang leader Armando Eliu Melgar Diaz at a White House event meant to highlight the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on the group, on Wednesday.

The Justice Department accused Diaz with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to cross-border terror acts, along with narco-terror financing and other charges. He was further accused of directing MS-13 activities in the US East Coast region, ordering and approving numerous murders and overseeing drug deals while collecting payments from around 20 local MS-13 cliques.

The department did not explain why it was using terror charges for the first time against the gang, but it noted that the Salvadoran government had designated MS-13 a terror group.

Diaz lived illegally in the United States, mostly in Virginia, from 2003 to 2016 when he was deported. After that, he became the gang's main coordinator for its eastern US operations based in El Salvador.&nbsp;

He is currently under arrest in El Salvador, facing charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday the indictments of 21 MS-13 members in New York and Nevada who belong to US operations separate from those run by Diaz.

Charges against those involved include murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and weapons violations.&nbsp;

The Justice Department also said it would seek the death penalty for a notorious MS-13 hit man in New York, Alexi Saenz, who was indicted in 2017 for seven murders.

(with inputs from AFP)

The US Justice Department has used terrorism charges for the first time to indict a member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang. Attorney General Bill Barr announced the charges against Salvador-based gang leader Armando Eliu Melgar Diaz at a White House event meant to highlight the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on the group, on Wednesday.

The US Justice Department has used terrorism charges for the first time to indict a member of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang. Attorney General Bill Barr announced the charges against Salvador-based gang leader Armando Eliu Melgar Diaz at a White House event meant to highlight the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on the group, on Wednesday. The Justice Department accused Diaz with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to cross-border terror acts, along with narco-terror financing and other charges. He was further accused of directing MS-13 activities in the US East Coast region, ordering and approving numerous murders and overseeing drug deals while collecting payments from around 20 local MS-13 cliques. The department did not explain why it was using terror charges for the first time against the gang, but it noted that the Salvadoran government had designated MS-13 a terror group. Diaz lived illegally in the United States, mostly in Virginia, from 2003 to 2016 when he was deported. After that, he became the gang's main coordinator for its eastern US operations based in El Salvador. He is currently under arrest in El Salvador, facing charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday the indictments of 21 MS-13 members in New York and Nevada who belong to US operations separate from those run by Diaz. Charges against those involved include murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and weapons violations. The Justice Department also said it would seek the death penalty for a notorious MS-13 hit man in New York, Alexi Saenz, who was indicted in 2017 for seven murders. (with inputs from AFP)

In a first, US charges MS-13 leader with terror

A police officer for the US capital city&#39;s metro system was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to provide material support to the Islamic State jihadist group, prosecutors said. 
 
Nicholas Young, 36, had worked for Washington&#39;s Metro Transit Police Department since 2003, the Department of Justice said in a statement. He communicated for years with undercover agents and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, discussing his knowledge and interest in terror activities, prosecutors said. 
 
&quot;Metro Transit Police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation up to and including today&#39;s arrest,&quot; Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld said. 
 
&quot;Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. They&#39;re disturbing to me, and they&#39;re disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform,&quot; he said in a statement. Young met about 20 times in 2014 with the FBI informant who was posing as a US military reservist of Middle Eastern descent who wanted to join the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said. 
 
Young allegedly gave the man advice on travel to avoid detection by law enforcement, and also told him to watch out for informants. In June 2015, Young emailed undercover FBI agents asking for advice on how to send money to the IS group, prosecutors said. Last month, he sent an undercover agent $245 in gift cards to charge mobile messaging accounts that the Islamic State group uses in its recruiting efforts. Metro officials did not say what tipped them off to Young. 
 
He was fired from his job immediately upon his arrest, the agency said.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Crowd-sourced terror&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Young had been on law enforcement&#39;s radar since 2010, when an acquaintance was arrested on charges of trying to provide material support to a terror group. The acquaintance ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the Justice Department, Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and tried to go a second time. Baggage searches at the time found that Young was traveling with military equipment such as body armor. He told authorities he had been with rebels attempting to overthrow dictator Moamer Kadhafi. That same year, Young met several times with an undercover agent while accompanied by Amine El Khalifi, an acquaintance. 
 
El Khalifi later pleaded guilty to charges related to his plan to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the US Capitol Building. If convicted, Young faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The White House is &quot;mindful of the risk that is posed by homegrown extremists,&quot; spokesman Josh Earnest said. 
 
Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, hailed the work of the FBI in apprehending Young. 
 
&quot;This is a sobering reminder of the vigilance required to combat crowd-sourced terror. Our enemies&#39; old, top-down strategy no longer defines our threats,&quot; he said. &quot;The intelligence community does not exclusively hunt card-carrying members of ISIS and al-Qaeda. Our challenge is greater and today the FBI has met it forcefully.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Young had communicated with FBI informants about his interest in terror activities, and had tried to provide material support to the IS

A police officer for the US capital city's metro system was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to provide material support to the Islamic State jihadist group, prosecutors said. Nicholas Young, 36, had worked for Washington's Metro Transit Police Department since 2003, the Department of Justice said in a statement. He communicated for years with undercover agents and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, discussing his knowledge and interest in terror activities, prosecutors said. "Metro Transit Police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation up to and including today's arrest," Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld said. "Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. They're disturbing to me, and they're disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform," he said in a statement. Young met about 20 times in 2014 with the FBI informant who was posing as a US military reservist of Middle Eastern descent who wanted to join the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said. Young allegedly gave the man advice on travel to avoid detection by law enforcement, and also told him to watch out for informants. In June 2015, Young emailed undercover FBI agents asking for advice on how to send money to the IS group, prosecutors said. Last month, he sent an undercover agent $245 in gift cards to charge mobile messaging accounts that the Islamic State group uses in its recruiting efforts. Metro officials did not say what tipped them off to Young. He was fired from his job immediately upon his arrest, the agency said. 'Crowd-sourced terror' Young had been on law enforcement's radar since 2010, when an acquaintance was arrested on charges of trying to provide material support to a terror group. The acquaintance ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the Justice Department, Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and tried to go a second time. Baggage searches at the time found that Young was traveling with military equipment such as body armor. He told authorities he had been with rebels attempting to overthrow dictator Moamer Kadhafi. That same year, Young met several times with an undercover agent while accompanied by Amine El Khalifi, an acquaintance. El Khalifi later pleaded guilty to charges related to his plan to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the US Capitol Building. If convicted, Young faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The White House is "mindful of the risk that is posed by homegrown extremists," spokesman Josh Earnest said. Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, hailed the work of the FBI in apprehending Young. "This is a sobering reminder of the vigilance required to combat crowd-sourced terror. Our enemies' old, top-down strategy no longer defines our threats," he said. "The intelligence community does not exclusively hunt card-carrying members of ISIS and al-Qaeda. Our challenge is greater and today the FBI has met it forcefully." (AFP)

US capital transit policeman arrested on terror charge

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This US IT engineer was a Hezbollah agent planning terror attacks in New York

US could soon take Sudan off state sponsors of terrorism list

In a first, US charges MS-13 leader with terror

US capital transit policeman arrested on terror charge