Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

A Philly teen who wanted to be a terrorist bomb maker had conducted explosive tests near his house, authorities say Muhyyee-Ud-Din Abdul-Rahman, now 18, conducted more than a dozen tests on homemade bombs near his family’s house in Wynnefield while aspiring to become a bombmaker in Syria, authorities said.

September 18, 2024 Chris Palmer

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A Philadelphia man who was charged as a teenager last year with supporting foreign terrorist organizations had conducted more than a dozen tests on homemade bombs near his family’s house in the city’s Wynnefield section, and had begun planning to […]

Former Penn State Abington student pleaded guilty to lying about his ties to ISIS Kamal Fataliev, 20, had shared information about weapons, guerilla warfare, and toxins with extremists online since 2022.

July 19, 2024 Chris Palmer

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A former student at Pennsylvania State University’s Abington campus pleaded guilty Friday to lying in federal documents about whether he’d ever communicated with ISIS sympathizers or other potential terrorists. Kamal Fataliev, 20, a Russian citizen who was also a legal […]

Penn State Abington student indicted for lying about ties to ISIS terrorists Prosecutors say Kamal Fataliev, 19, uploaded hundreds of bomb- and firearms-making guides to terror-related chat groups. They discovered his involvement after disrupting a planned attack in Chicago.

July 26, 2023 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) Federal authorities have charged a sophomore at Pennsylvania State University’s Abington campus with lying about his contacts with ISIS sympathizers and assistance he gave to the plotters of an averted terrorist attack in Chicago last year. Kamal Fataliev, 19, of […]

Pennsylvania Armenians decry Oz’s failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide 'It’s not just genocide denial, it’s the reason why he’s doing it,' said Lorig Baronian, volunteer for the Armenian National Committee of Pennsylvania.

October 14, 2022 Massarah Mikati

(Philadelphia Inquirer) For Lorig Baronian, the Armenian Genocide is a century-old piece of history that still affects her life today. The descendant of survivors of the genocide, Baronian grew up hearing about the atrocities her ancestors experienced: her great-grandparents meeting in an […]

Montgomery County couple sentenced to prison for supporting their relatives’ efforts to join ISIS Shahidul Gaffar and Nabila Khan, of Collegeville, sent $5,600 to relatives in Bangladesh to fund their travel to Syria. But the couple maintained Thursday they did it out of love for family not ISIS.

September 9, 2021 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A husband and wife from Montgomery County each were ordered Thursday to spend more than a year in federal prison for sending money overseas to help two relatives travel to Syria and join ISIS. Shahidul Gaffar, 40, and Nabila Khan, […]

Ex-Drexel student whose Facebook posts wished ‘death to all Americans’ will be deported for ties to Yemeni rebels Gaafar al-Wazer was suspended from an English-language program at Drexel after staff became concerned about Facebook posts showing him carrying an AK-47 and wishing 'death to all Americans.'

April 8, 2021 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A former Drexel University student jailed since 2019 for lying about his contact with anti-American insurgents in Yemen will be released from custody and immediately deported under a deal approved Thursday by a federal judge in Philadelphia. FBI agents arrested […]

Pa. husband and wife plead guilty to helping relatives who joined ISIS

November 18, 2020 Robert Moran

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A Pennsylvania husband and wife originally from Bangladesh pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia to providing support to family members who joined ISIS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Shahidul Gaffar, 40, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and his wife, […]

Ex-Drexel student charged with hiding past training with anti-American rebels in Yemen

November 12, 2019 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) Federal terrorism investigators have charged a former Drexel University student with hiding his ties to the anti-American insurgency group that has embroiled Yemen in a protracted and devastating civil war. Prosecutors said Gaafar Mohammed Ebrahim al-Wazer — a 24-year-old Yemeni […]

North Philadelphia mosque explains how children wound up reciting violent poem in video

May 15, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) The children who recited a violent poem in Arabic and performed choreography to a song referencing the “blood of martyrs” last month at a North Philadelphia mosque did not understand the words’ meaning, and the volunteer aide who made those […]

Muslim American Society investigating ‘oversight’ following controversial video at Philly Islamic center

May 4, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A national Muslim group says it will conduct an investigation into an event at a Philadelphia Islamic center last month during which a group of youngsters sang songs it said were not “properly vetted,” calling that “an unintended mistake and […]

Imam denies that statements made at North Philly mosque were anti-Semitic

March 11, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A visiting imam accused of making anti-Semitic statements at a North Philadelphia mosque has said the slurs attributed to him are “completely false,” prompting the Anti-Defamation League on Monday to label him “shamefully unrepentant” and his denial “brazen.” Imam Abdelmohsen […]

North Philadelphia mosque officials apologize for anti-Semitic statements delivered in sermons by guest imam

March 9, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) Officials at a North Philadelphia mosque known for its commitment to interreligious dialogue have apologized for anti-Semitic statements made by a guest imam during several sermons delivered there over the last few months. The comments in Arabic by Imam Abdelmohsen […]