NORTH BERGEN AND BEYOND – A North Bergen man who was arrested over the weekend for terrorism charges had his first appearance in court today.
Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, N.J. were arrested and charged with conspiring to kill, maim, and kidnap persons outside of the United States, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Federal agents arrested two men this past Saturday at JFK Airport, where according to the court complaint, they were planning on boarding separate flights to Egypt, where they would continue their journey to Somalia in the hopes of joining the known terrorist organization Al Shabaab.
They had their first visit in court Monday at 11 a.m. before United States Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, who according to published reports, warned the men that they could face life in prison with penalties of $250,000.
Two lawyers were appointed to the men, who will represent them at a bail hearing this Thursday and at a preliminary hearing on June 21.
The FBI had received a tip about the duo’s activities in October 2006. As the investigation continued, an NYPD Intelligence Division undercover officer recorded numerous meetings in which Alessa and Almonte discussed how they would carry out their alleged jihadist plans, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Their plans included saving thousands of dollars, physically conditioning themselves, tactical training, acquiring military gear and purchasing tickets to Egypt.
“They only fear you when you have a gun and when you – when you start killing them, and when you – when you take their head, and you do like this, and you behead it on camera… We’ll start doing killing here, if I can’t do it over there,” Alessa allegedly said to Almonte and the undercover officer, according to the court documents.
For more information on this story, check back at www.hudsonreporter.com or read the North Bergen Reporter this weekend. – Tricia Tirella