A Filipino suspect in a thwarted jihadist plot targetting New York City transferred money from the Philippines to other suspects to carry out the attacks, saying he could do this without attracting too much attention.
A statement sent by the United States Embassy in Manila quoted messages sent by Russel Salic to two others involved in the plot in which he described terror laws in the Philippines as “not strict” in comparison to countries such as Australia and the UK.
US authorities said Friday that Salic, a doctor, had sent “approximately $423” to fund the attacks and had promised to send more.
“Terrorists from all over the world usually come here as a breeding ground for terrorists… hahahaha… But no worry here in Philippines. They dont care bout IS… Only in west,” Salic was reported as saying.
Salic, Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, and Talha Haroon have been charged with involvement in the plan to carry out the attacks in the name of the Islamic State group during the Muslim month of Ramadan in 2016.
Multiple locations including New York’s subway, Times Square and some concert venues were identified as targets in the plot that was foiled by an undercover FBI agent, US authorities announced.
The agent posed as an IS supporter and communicated with Salic; El Bahnasawy, a 19-year-old Canadian who purchased bombmaking material; and Haroon, a 19-year-old American citizen living in Pakistan.
El Bahnasawy told the undercover FBI agent that Salic was a trusted IS supporter who had provided funding to help the group on prior occasions, according to the US Justice Department.
Arrests
Salic was arrested in the Philippines around April 2017, the statement said.
It added that El Bahnasawy, who authorities say has pled guilty to “terrorism charges,” was arrested in New Jersey in May 2016 and Haroon in Pakistan around September 2016.
The extradition of Haroon and Salic to the US is pending, according to prosecutors.
Philippine officials could not be contacted for comment.
The Philippines has been struggling for years with armed insurgencies arising from the Muslim minority in the country’s restive south.
Various Muslim militant groups have publicly pledged allegiance to IS in the past.
Armed militants flying the black IS flag have been besieging the southern city of Marawi since May, leaving at least 955 people dead.
The fighting, which is still raging despite the Philippine military using artillery, airstrikes and US military assistance, has left the once-thriving city in ruins with thousands of civilians displaced.(Agence France Presse)