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Joint Terrorism Task Force

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NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds
NJ Teen Recruited Undercover Agent To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities, Nabbed At Newark Airport: Feds A teenager from Middlesex County is facing federal charges for asking an undercover agent to destroy PSE&G electrical facilities in New Jersey, officials announced this week. Andrew Takhistov, 18, of East Brunswick, was arrested Wednesday, July 10 at Newark Liberty International Airport where he was planning to travel to Paris on his way to Ukraine, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Takhistov is charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct that involved destroying a public service enterprise group circuit breaker and substation, fede…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Indicted By Federal Grand Jury Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Indicted By Federal Grand Jury
Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Indicted By Federal Grand Jury A college student from Saudi Arabia who stole a school bus in Livingston, NJ, and drove it nearly 60 miles to Stroudsburg, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury, authorities said. Bader Alzahrani, a 22-year-old divorced sophomore who attends an undisclosed college, broke into a vacant home across the street from a Livingston Board of Education parking lot on Hill Side Avenue where the bus was parked on Jan. 15, the indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Newark says. The district reported the bus stolen two days later. Police found a backpack with a Saudi Arabian passport bea…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'I Am The Attacker': Former High School Student Admits Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ 'I Am The Attacker': Former High School Student Admits Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ
'I Am The Attacker': Former High School Student Admits Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ A 19-year-old New Jersey man faces up to five years in federal prison after admitting that he posted threats to a synagogue and Jewish people. Omar Alkattoul of Sayreville posted a manifesto last Nov. 1 in a forum frequented by extremists that included a claim of an attack that he said had already occurred. This triggered instant alarms because active shooters in certain instances have done the same just before carrying out fatal missions across the U.S. Alkattoul frightened Jews statewide, sparked a surge of law enforcement tactical protection at their houses of worship and prompted the F…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Kept Anti-Semitic Journals: Feds Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Kept Anti-Semitic Journals: Feds
Saudi National Who Drove Stolen NJ School Bus To PA Kept Anti-Semitic Journals: Feds A college student from Saudi Arabia who stole a school bus in Livingston, NJ, and drove it nearly 60 miles to Stroudsburg, PA, kept anti-Semitic journals, federal authorities said. Bader Alzahrani, a 22-year-old divorced sophomore who attends an undisclosed college, is accused of first breaking into a vacant home across the street from a Livingston Board of Education parking lot on Hill Side Avenue where the bus was parked. The district reported the bus stolen on Jan. 17, two days after the residential break-in, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Police found a backpack…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison
NJ Army Vet Who Supported Syrian Terrorist Lover Gets 3 Plea-Bargained Years In Federal Prison A U.S. Army veteran from Sussex County must spend more than three years in federal prison for deliberately concealing money and guidance she gave to a Syrian terrorist she'd fallen in love with. Because there's no parole in the federal prison system, Maria Bell, 55, must serve out just about all of the plea-bargained 36-month sentence approved by a federal judge in Newark on Tuesday, Jan. 24, Bell, of Hopatcong, offered not only money and military intelligence but the benefit of her experience in specialized weapons training to Syria-based factions fighting the Assad regime, a complaint on…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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'I Am The Attacker': Arrest Made In Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ 'I Am The Attacker': Arrest Made In Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ
'I Am The Attacker': Arrest Made In Threat That Shook Synagogues Across NJ Recent broad threats against synagogues and Jewish people in New Jersey earlier this month ended with the arrest of a teenager from the state, federal authorities announced on Thursday, Nov. 10. A manifesto posted by Omar Alkattoul, 18, of Sayreville in a forum frequented by extremists frightened the public, brought security to Jewish houses of worship and got the FBI involved last week. The concern stemmed from a contention in the Nov. 1 post that an attack had already occurred -- which active shooters have done in certain instances across the U.S. just before carrying out their fatal…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest
FBI: Middlesex Man Admits Trying To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest UPDATE: A Middlesex County man admitted Tuesday that he stuffed a rag into the gas tank of a police cruiser and set it on fire during a riot in Trenton following what had been a peaceful protest last year over the death of George Floyd. Justin Spry, 22, of South Plainfield took a deal from the government rather than go to trial, becoming the second of three men involved in the incident to admit their roles. Spry originally tried claiming on Twitter that he was brutalized by police, but federal authorities produced surveillance video showing otherwise. “Law enforcement officers on scene ob…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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NJ Neo-Nazi Admits Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews NJ Neo-Nazi Admits Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews
NJ Neo-Nazi Admits Masterminding Nationwide ‘Kristallnacht’ Attack On Blacks, Jews A New Jersey member of a hardcore neo-Nazi group admitted Friday that he convinced two fellow white supremacists to vandalize property owned by Blacks and Jews. Richard Tobin, 19, of Brooklawn, dubbed the nationwide campaign “Operation Kristallnacht,” after a 1938 pogrom in which German Nazis slaughtered more than 90 Jews and burned their homes, synagogues, stores and schools, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael A. Honig said. Tobin told a federal judge via video conference Friday that he “implored” two other members of “The Base” to break windows and slash tires, among other destru…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Jersey Shore Pawn Shop Owner Tied To Shooting Deaths Of JC Officer, 3 Others Gets Fed Pen Time Jersey Shore Pawn Shop Owner Tied To Shooting Deaths Of JC Officer, 3 Others Gets Fed Pen Time
Jersey Shore Pawn Shop Owner Tied To Shooting Deaths Of JC Officer, 3 Others Gets Fed Pen Time A Jersey Shore pawn shop owner who was arrested in connection with the December 2019 shooting deaths of a Jersey City police detective and three civilians was sent to federal prison Tuesday for 18 months. A handwritten note found in the pocket of one of the two assailants who were shot dead by police led investigators to Ahmed A-Hady, a 36-year-old ex-con. It contained a telephone number ending in 4115 and the address of the pawn shop, they said. A-Hady had been convicted in 2012 of trying to obtain prescription drugs by fraud, which prohibited him from possessing a firearm, records show. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Rioter Cops To Torching Trenton Police Cruiser After George Floyd Protest Rioter Cops To Torching Trenton Police Cruiser After George Floyd Protest
Rioter Cops To Torching Trenton Police Cruiser After George Floyd Protest A South Jersey man admitted in federal court Tuesday that he tried to set fire to a police cruiser during a video-recorded riot that broke out following a peaceful protest last spring in Trenton. Killian F. Melecio, 20, of Columbus told a U.S. District Court Judge in Trenton via videoconference that he stuffed a shirt he’d gotten from another man into the gas tank of the vehicle and tried to ignite it last May 31. The protest earlier that day in response to the death of George Floyd had been peaceful, authorities said. Violence later erupted as a mob spread down East State Street, smashing …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Man Who Vowed To Shoot Pro-Israel Demonstrators, Bomb Trump Tower Admits Supporting Hamas NJ Man Who Vowed To Shoot Pro-Israel Demonstrators, Bomb Trump Tower Admits Supporting Hamas
NJ Man Who Vowed To Shoot Pro-Israel Demonstrators, Bomb Trump Tower Admits Supporting Hamas A Somerset County man who told Instagram followers he was wanted to shoot or run down pro-Israel demonstrators and bomb Trump Tower admitted Tuesday that he secretly supported Hamas. Jonathan Xie, 21, of Basking Ridge admitted during a video conference with a federal judge in Trenton that he wired $100 via Moneygram to a purported member of the Al-Qassam Brigades, a faction of Hamas that has conducted suicide bombings and other attacks on civilians inside Israel, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. “Just donated $100 to Hamas,” Xie posted to his Instagram account. “Pretty sure it was illega…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FBI Agents Arrest Accused Arsonist Who Torched Trenton Police Car On Social Media FBI Agents Arrest Accused Arsonist Who Torched Trenton Police Car On Social Media
FBI Agents Arrest Accused Arsonist Who Torched Trenton Police Car On Social Media FBI agents on Wednesday arrested a Trenton man who they said was caught on video torching a police car during a riot in the city last month. Bystander video shows Earlja J. Dudley, 27, and another man opening the vehicle’s engine and igniting a fire during unrest that followed what had been a peaceful day of protest against the death of George Floyd on May 31, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said Wednesday. In the video, Dudley is wearing a tank top and baseball cap with the Roman numerals “XIV” in red lettering, along with distinctive green, black and white sneakers, Carpenito said. Invest…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
FBI: Middlesex Man Tried To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest FBI: Middlesex Man Tried To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest
FBI: Middlesex Man Tried To Torch Trenton Police Car Following Floyd Protest Federal authorities seized a Middlesex County man who they said stuffed a rag into the gas tank of a police cruiser and tried to set it on fire during a riot that erupted in Trenton following what had been a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd. Justin Spry, 21, of South Plainfield tried claiming on Twitter that he was brutalized by police, but U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said that surveillance video captured him and an accomplice trying to torch the police car Sunday night. “Law enforcement officers on scene observed Spry as he attempted to ignite the vehicle,” …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Scammers Who Paid Bills, Bought Fancy Cars With Homemade Money Orders Headed To Fed Pen NJ Scammers Who Paid Bills, Bought Fancy Cars With Homemade Money Orders Headed To Fed Pen
NJ Scammers Who Paid Bills, Bought Fancy Cars With Homemade Money Orders Headed To Fed Pen Two New Jersey men are bound for federal prison for producing bogus money orders and cashier’s checks that they used to buy themselves luxury cars, pay off credit card bills and clear a mortgage. Germaine Howard King, 47, of Elizabeth was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Newark to 70 months. Daniel D. Dxrams (currently known as “Daniel Kusi”), 41, of Maplewood was sentenced to 57 months. Both must serve their entire terms because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. “King was convicted for his role in a scheme to defraud banks and other lenders using phony money order…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Times Square Bombing Plot: Suspect Seized By Joint Terrorism Task Force Times Square Bombing Plot: Suspect Seized By Joint Terrorism Task Force
Times Square Bombing Plot: Suspect Seized By Joint Terrorism Task Force A joint terrorism task force seized a Queens man whom they accused of planning to bomb Times Square. Investigators arranged a sting after discovering that Ashiqul Alam, 22, was looking to buy guns, grenades and ammo to kill police and civilians, authorities said. Alam, who lives with his parents in Jackson Heights, apparently was acting alone, they said. The Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes federal agents and members of the NYPD, among others, took Alam him into custody after he arranged to buy weapons, authorities said Friday. They said they currently had no evidence to support…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Man Who Planned To Detonate NYC Pressure-Cooker Bomb For Isis Gets 16 Years Jersey Shore Man Who Planned To Detonate NYC Pressure-Cooker Bomb For Isis Gets 16 Years
Jersey Shore Man Who Planned To Detonate NYC Pressure-Cooker Bomb For Isis Gets 16 Years A would-be jihadist from the Jersey Shore who planned to build and detonate a "Boston Marathon-style" pressure-cooker bomb in Manhattan for ISIS was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison on Friday. Gregory Lepsky, 22, of Point Pleasant, will have to serve all of the sentence: There's no parole in the federal prison system. Lepsky cut a deal with the government, pleading guilty last March to "attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization" in exchange for a sentence more lenient than if he'd been convicted at a trial. Originally insisting his name wa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
National Guard Sent To New TZB, Major Transportation Venues After Rash Of Pipe Bombs National Guard Sent To New TZB, Major Transportation Venues After Rash Of Pipe Bombs
National Guard Sent To New TZB, Major Transportation Venues After Rash Of Pipe Bombs Security has been doubled at many transportation assets across the metro NYC area, including the new Tappan Zee Bridge, late Wednesday afternoon after a rash of bombs were sent to political leaders."Out of an abundance of caution, I am deploying additional National Guard soldiers and directing State law enforcement to double security at vital transportation assets across New York," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "New Yorkers have never succumbed to fear or intimidation, and today will be no different." In addition to the new TZB, additional National Guard members were d…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore ISIS Wannabe Facing 16+ Years After Admitting NYC Bomb Plot Jersey Shore ISIS Wannabe Facing 16+ Years After Admitting NYC Bomb Plot
Jersey Shore ISIS Wannabe Facing 16+ Years After Admitting NYC Bomb Plot A would-be jihadist from the Jersey Shore is headed to federal prison for at least 16 years after admitting Tuesday that he planned to detonate a pressure-cooker bomb in Manhattan for ISIS. Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant told a federal judge in Trenton that he began hatching the plan in January 2017, accessing ISIS directives and bomb-making instructions and buying the necessary items to detonate a Boston Marathon-style bomb. Under the terms of a plea agreement negotiated with federal prosecutors, Lepsky will be sentenced to 16 to 19 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, U…

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by Jerry DeMarco