Feds Arrest Dearborn Man for Allegedly Supporting Terrorist Group
The Justice Department says Samer El Debek was trained in making bombs, did reconnaissance for Hezbollah.
Federal authorities say they have arrested two men, including one from Michigan, for allegedly providing support to a terrorist organization.
The two men are accused of working with the Islamic Jihad arm of the group Hezbollah.
Court papers unsealed this week reveal naturalized U.S. citizen Samer El Debek is being charged with receiving military training and conducting missions on behalf of the Islamic Jihad organization.
Officials say El Debek, who lives in Dearborn, was recruited by the group about a decade ago and was extensively trained in methods to create bombs.
They allege he was also sent to clean-up bomb-making materials in Bangkok and search for possible weaknesses in the security surrounding the Panama Canal and The U.S. and Israeli embassies in that country.
Officials also accuse Bronx, New York resident Ali Kourani of providing support to a terrorist group and surveilling potential targets in New York City.
The men were arrested last week.
El Debek was taken into custody in Livonia.
Both are being held in New York.
