A Raleigh, N.C., man pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, Justice Department officials said.
Akba Jihad Jordan, 22, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones. Jordan and co-defendant Avin Marsalis Brown, 21, also of Raleigh, were arrested last March, following an extended investigation.
"This investigation is a sober reminder that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to prosecute these extremists who pose a threat to anyone, both Muslim and non-Muslim alike, that do not agree (with) their dangerous ideology,” U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker said in a statement.
According to the Justice Department, Jordan and Brown “engaged in numerous discussions with an FBI confidential source in which they expressed a desire to travel overseas to join certain groups in fighting the kuffar’ (non-Muslims) and ‘munafiq’ (Muslims considered to be hypocrites), primarily in either Syria or Yemen.”
The two men allegedly talked about weapons, and a law enforcement affidavit describes a meeting at Jordan’s apartment on December 30, 2013, during which Jordan showed Brown how to break down an AK-47 rifle.
Brown, who was arrested March 19 at Raleigh Durham International Airport prior to boarding a flight with a final destination in Turkey, pleaded guilty in August.