On Wednesday, a U.S. police officer was charged for the first time with supporting the Islamic State. Authorities have arrested 36-year-old Nicholas Young, a police officer with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and charged him with a single count of providing "material support" to ISIS, The Associated Press reported. There is no evidence at this point that Young posed a threat to Washington, D.C.'s Metro subway system, which is under the WMATA's jurisdiction.
Young has been on the FBI's radar since 2010 because of his connections to individuals charged with terror-related crimes and his own claims that he'd joined a rebel group during two trips to Libya in 2011. Then, last month, Young purchased $250 worth of gift cards, which he allegedly planned to send to ISIS so the terrorist group could purchase smartphone apps for easier communication. Authorities uncovered Young's plan when he mistakenly ended up giving the gift cards to an undercover FBI agent, The Associated Press reported.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Book reviews: 'Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves' and 'Notes to John'Feature The aughts' toxic pop culture and Joan Didion's most private pages
-
The FDA plans to embrace AI agencywideIn the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
-
Digital consent: Law targets deepfake and revenge pornFeature The Senate has passed a new bill that will make it a crime to share explicit AI-generated images of minors and adults without consent
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
