Two Indian brothers indicted in USA for supporting al-Qaeda

The four men between January 2005 and January 2012 conspired to raise money equipment and other support to Anwar al-Awlaki, the late American-born, radical Muslim cleric whose English language videos and blog posts inspired a number of Western recruits to Al Qaeda, as well as acts of terrorism, federal prosecutors said. Asif studied at the University of Ohio at the same time as Farooq Mohammad.

The men allegedly co-conspired to financially support jihad through overseas terrorists.

A 72-page indictment unsealed Thursday in Northern Ohio accuses the men of conspiring to go to Yemen to give thousands of dollars to Anwar Al-Awlaki, a leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

Al-Alwaki died in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

“This indictment is a testament to the perseverance of those who stand watch over our nation and is a clear message to those who support terrorism – we will not forget and you will face justice”, Dettelbach said.

His brother Ibrahim, also an in Indian citizen, studied engineering at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign from 2001 to 2005. The USA attorney says the men were sophisticated in hiding what they were doing.

On January 14, authorities arrested Christopher Cornell, of suburban Cincinnati, and accused him of plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol in support of the Islamic State group. The indictment also alleges that the defendants’ support was to be used in furtherance of violent jihad against the USA and US military in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

Farooq and Ibrahim obtained money by opening credit cards and withdrawing money with no intention of repaying the amounts obtained from the financial institutions, federal prosecutors alleged.

The indictment contends that in July 2009 Farooq Mohammad traveled with two other people to Yemen to meet Awlaki. Instead, they handed $22,000 to an associate for the domestic terrorist.

The Assistant Attorney General for National Security announced Thursday the indictment of four terror suspects by a grand jury, including one who had been previously living in Toledo.