NORTH BERGEN AND BEYOND — The Record of Hackensack reported Saturday that a 19-year-old former Sweden resident who now lives in Egypt says that North Bergen resident Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, whom prosecutors allege was planning to become a terrorist, was simply going to the Middle East to marry her.
The Record reports: “A young Swedish woman who identified herself as the girlfriend of the accused jihadist from North Bergen said Saturday that Mohamed Mahmood Alessa was heading to the Middle East to marry her and study Arabic, not kill American troops. The woman, who identified herself as Siham Abedar, said in an interview that Egypt was the final destination for Alessa, even though authorities believe he tried to leave the United States to meet up with a terrorist group in Somalia.”
Alessa and a friend of his from Elmwood Park were arrested last weekend before boarding a plane, prompting days of media coverage. To read the North Bergen Reporter’s coverage of the situation, pick up your print edition this weekend or click back on this page starting Sunday.