Over the weekend, US authorities in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles arrested eight men from Tajikistan suspected of ties to” ISIS”.
Three American sources familiar with the matter told “NBC “News that these suspects were under the surveillance of the “FBI’s” Joint Terrorism Task Force and were arrested by members of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to sources, all eight men crossed the southern border into the United States, and their criminal background checks came back clean upon entry.
Two officials familiar with the matter said that at least two of the men entered the United States in the spring of 2023, using the “CBP One” app created by President Joe Biden’s administration to allow migrants to book appointments to seek asylum.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was aware of the potential terrorist threat and began monitoring these men as part of its investigation.
Although they have not been charged with links to terrorism or a terrorist plot yet, the FBI recommended their arrest due to their possible ties to “ISIS”, and they were arrested on immigration charges, according to the sources.
The suspects were detained and are now facing deportation proceedings before an immigration judge and may later face terrorism-related charges.
“Over the past few days, ICE agents have detained numerous immigrants in accordance with immigration authorities, and the actions were conducted in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Mission,” the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
In April, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an Uzbek man in Baltimore on charges related to his connection to” ISIS”, as the accused had been living in the United States for more than two years.
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