Individual charged with attempting to join Somalia-based terrorist group allegedly inspired by Hamas attack

A New Jersey man, allegedly inspired by the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, has been charged for expressing a desire to harm Americans worldwide and planning to join a foreign terrorist organization, according to a complaint unsealed Friday by authorities.

Karrem Nasr, 23, is facing charges of attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Somalia, as stated in a news release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York.

If Nasr is convicted, federal officials have stated that he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. In November, he was in Egypt where he expressed his intentions and plans to join al-Shabaab and engage in jihad, including in communications with an FBI confidential source who was posing as a facilitator for terrorist organizations.

The complaint alleged that Nasr, a US citizen, revealed in messages with a confidential source and online posts that he had been considering engaging in jihad for a long time. He was reportedly particularly motivated to become a jihadist by Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, which killed at least 1,200 Israelis. Nasr also communicated to the confidential source that he considered "evil America" to be the "head of the snake" and warned of "Jihad" coming soon to a US location in recent public social media posts. The posts also included airplane, bomb, and fire emojis.

According to Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Nasr was driven by the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7 and was focused on engaging in violent jihad against the United States and its partners. Despite being a citizen of the U.S., Nasr traveled from Egypt to Kenya with the intention of joining and training with al-Shabaab in order to carry out his mission of death and destruction as a jihadist. Williams also noted that Nasr was willing to both kill and be killed to further the jihadist cause, and had described America as evil and the head of the snake in his own words.

Nasr relocated from New Jersey to Egypt in July 2023, as stated in the complaint. He then traveled from Egypt to Kenya on December 14 with intentions of going to Somalia, but was apprehended by Kenyan authorities and returned to the United States on December 28, as reported in the release.

It is currently unknown whether Nasr has legal representation, however, he is anticipated to make an appearance in Manhattan federal court on Friday.